Prediction of acid and metalliferous drainage for cold and dry climates

Theme: Earth science and resources

Description: 

Extrapolating predictions of AMD from laboratory to the field face challenges due to the heterogeneity of WRDs, encompassing variations in particle size distribution, geochemical and hydrological properties of rock fragments, control of experimental conditions and duration, and lack of input parameters for numerical models. To mitigate airflow and water infiltration into the dumps, compaction can be applied to each surface layer during dump lifting. However, compaction effect on AMD generation is still not well understood. In addition, reproducing the state transition and compaction in laboratory kinetic test settings poses some difficulties. For greenfield projects where the design of WRDs is not finalised, these challenges are further compounded beyond the shortcomings of industry-standard procedures for AMD predictions. Therefore, it is necessary to develop appropriate methods for systematic AMD predictions for greenfield sites.

Additional Information: This study investigates how closely the hydrological conditions of waste rock dumps, such as intrinsic permeability, liquid-to-solid ratio, and residence time, can be simulated in the laboratory to derive optimum WRD design parameters.

Contact: Assoc Professor Carlos Spier / Prof. Mansour Edraki