Processes controlling metal ion attenuation in acid mine drainage streams

Computer Science

Scientific paper

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Scientific paper

Two acid mine drainage streams have been investigated by detailed analysis of their sediments and waters, to obtain an understanding of the dominant processes which control the transport and attenuation of heavy metals under conditions of chronic high-level pollutant input. One of the water-courses has a thick hydrous iron oxide crust on its bed, where biotically mediated oxidation of ferrous iron resulted in precipitation of amorphous ferric hydroxide, along with substantial quantities of adsorbed silica, sulphate and Al and lesser quantities of As. Small amounts of K and Pb (and possibly hydronium) jarosites were also present in the sediments. Changes in pH and in the concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Cd appear to be mainly the result of dilution by seeps and tributaries. Although no sediment was recovered during collection of water samples from the second stream, saturation index calculations imply that precipitation should have been occurring. The observed down-stream loss of a number of elements supported this conclusion. The solids predicted to be precipitating were A1(OH) 3 , Cu 2 (OH) 2 CO 3 , and Fe(OH) 3 . Observed decreases in the concentrations of Cd, Zn and Mn can be accounted for on the basis of dilution alone. However, the additional mechanism of neutralization by higher pH inflows is required to account for the decrease in hydrogen ion concentration downstream. The basis for a potentially useful new technique (congruent element analysis) which enables the identification of conservative components in streams is presented. Comparison of logarithmic concentration versus distance plots delineates the point where chemical removal mechanisms become important for each element.

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