Life cycle assessment of mine tailings management in Canada

The effective management of mine tailings involves the control of several environmental impacts and legal requirements. Six tailings site management and closure scenarios were developed for a copper zinc underground mine located in Quebec (Canada) and compared using life cycle assessment (LCA). Two options are considered for the mine operation: tailings can be sent to the tailings disposal area where they are submerged or they can be partly used for backfilling. For each of these two operation options, three alternatives are presented for mine closure: (a) submerged tailings, (b) partial desulphurization with a cover of desulphurized material and (c) a cover with capillary barrier effects (CCBE) made of natural soils followed by revegetation. The goals of the study were to draw the inventory of these management scenarios from the development to the post-closure phase, to assess and compare their environmental impacts and to determine the importance of the land-use impact category. The potential impacts for each scenario were evaluated using the IMPACT 2002+ LCIA method. The results of the performed LCA indicate that for mine development and operation, scenarios where tailings are partly used as backfill for underground stopes appear to lead to larger impacts in 11 of the 14 midpoint categories since the backfill plant operation consumes a greater amount of material and energy. For a site closure period of 2 years, the CCBE option creates the greatest impacts, since it requires much more effort than the other techniques. The results for the post-closure phase have been analysed separately since they have a larger uncertainty. They appear to modify the comparative assessment results. The various results presented in the paper show the importance of taking land-use impacts into account.     

Field assessment of metal and sulfate fluxes during flooding of pre-oxidized mine tailings

This paper presents a field experiment performed at the Mattabi mine tailings site near Ignace, Ontario, Canada, to assess the evolution of water chemistry over flooded sulfide mine tailings. The tailings had oxidized for approximately 10 years prior to flooding. The experiment involved the construction of a 70 m² test cell and a monitoring program that extended over more than 2 years. Metal and sulfate fluxes towards the water cover were calculated using measured solute concentrations, water cover volumes, and seepage rates. Results indicate that directly flooding pre-oxidized tailings can initially lead to the release of metals and sulfate to the water cover. However, dilution of the water cover by rain and snowmelt, flushing of the oxidation products by infiltration into the tailings, and removal of some metals by precipitation and sorption progressively reduced concentrations in the water cover below regulatory discharge limits. Because the tailings pore water was rich in ferrous iron, a thin layer of hydrous ferric oxide precipitated on the surface of the tailings, following the establishment of the water cover. The precipitate is believed to have removed zinc from the water cover through sorption or co-precipitation reactions.     

Minimisation of water use in a Ghanaian brewery: effects of personnel practices

This case study demonstrates the effects of personnel practices in water use in a Ghanaian brewery. Employees of the brewery were taken through a training programme for water use minimisation. Personnel input and options identified during the training sessions were then applied to the operations of the brewery over a 12-week period.A total savings of 55,340 m³ on an annual basis in the overall water use in the brewery as well as a reduction of 13.3% (from 7.5 to 6.5 hl/hl) in the specific water consumption (hl of water consumed per hl of beverage produced) were achieved.The key factors contributing to the success of the water use minimisation programme include employee awareness of the importance of water conservation and a commitment of employees to saving water.     

Modeling and simulation of industrial water demand of Beijing municipality in China

Statistic and econometric regression models were established in this study to analyze and predict industrial water demand, water deficits, and their future uncertainty in Beijing—a Chinese city with a severe water stress problem. A forecasting model was selected based on a modeling evaluation by comparing predictions with observations. Four scenarios were designed to simulate and analyze the future uncertainty of industrial water demand and the water deficit of Beijing. The modeling results for industrial water demand suggested that Beijing industry would face a water deficit between 3.06 × 10⁸ m³ in 2008 and 2.77×10⁸ m³ in 2015, though its industrial water demand would decrease from 6.31×10⁸ m³ to 4.84 ×10⁸ m³ during this period of time. Results from simulated scenario illustrated that, due to the extreme water scarcity situation, industry in Beijing would still face a serious water deficit problem even with a very optimistic scenario for the future.     

Hydrogeochemical and mineralogical characteristics related to heavy metal attenuation in a stream polluted by acid mine drainage: A case study in Dabaoshan Mine, China

Dabaoshan Mine, the largest mine in south China, has been developed since the 1970s. Acid mine drainage (AMD) discharged from the mine has caused severe environmental pollution and human health problems. In this article, chemical characteristics, mineralogy of ocher precipitations and heavy metal attenuation in the AMD are discussed based on physicochemical analysis, mineral analysis, sequential extraction experiments and hydrogeochemistry. The AMD chemical characteristics were determined from the initial water composition, water-rock interactions and dissolved sulfide minerals in the mine tailings. The waters, affected and unaffected by AMD, were Ca-SO₄ and Ca-HCO₃ types, respectively. The affected water had a low pH, high SO₄^2- and high heavy metal content and oxidation as determined by the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ couple. Heavy metal and SO₄^2- contents of Hengshi River water decreased, while pH increased, downstream. Schwertmannite was the major mineral at the waste dump, while goethite and quartz were dominant at the tailings dam and streambed. Schwertmannite was transformed into goethite at the tailings dam and streambed. The sulfate ions of the secondary minerals changed from bidentate- to monodentate-complexes downstream. Fe-Mn oxide phases of Zn, Cd and Pb in sediments increased downstream. However, organic matter complexes of Cu in sediments increased further away from the tailings. Fe³⁺ mineral precipitates and transformations controlled the AMD water chemistry.     

氰化尾渣资源化应用的清洁生产技术研究

以鑫汇金矿的氰化尾渣为研究对象,利用工艺矿物学研究方法,分别进行光谱分析、物相分析和化学分析. 氰化尾渣中w(Pb)和w(Zn)较高,分别达到12.45%和14.00%. 方铅矿和闪锌矿为可回收的铅锌矿物,2种矿粒度主要分布于10～43 μm. 针对方铅矿、闪锌矿的浮选特点,对矿浆进行预处理,并利用新型浮选技术和药剂制度,以提高选矿生产技术指标. 其中铅锌混合精矿中w(Pb)和w(Zn)分别为24.41%和24.55%,锌精矿中w(Zn)为46.63%. 在选矿废水中加入氧化剂,可使其净化后循环利用,由此可节约新鲜水380 m3/d;尾矿可作为制酸原料和水泥原料.      

澳大利亚尾矿治理现状及先进技术综述

澳大利亚在尾矿治理方面拥有先进的技术,处于国际领先水平,并提出了基于风险的矿山生命周期法,确保尾矿对环境造成的风险控制在可接受的低水平内。介绍了澳大利亚在尾矿治理方面的普遍性经验,主要包括尾矿浓缩、尾矿覆盖系统的设计以及尾矿的植被恢复。并在此基础上总结了澳大利亚尾矿治理的先进技术,包括脱水尾矿、联合处置、膏体石、空穴充填、地貌恢复及尾矿回收等环节,并且以澳大利亚3个矿区为例,证明了这些先进技术的可行性。     

铅锌尾矿中重金属在模拟酸雨淋溶下的浸出规律

重金属尾矿污染是世界性难题,污染水体、大气和土壤,对周边的生态环境和人体健康造成严重危害。在我国酸雨范围大且酸雨问题比较严重的背景下,探讨酸雨淋溶下尾矿中重金属的浸出规律将有利于加强我国重金属尾矿的污染控制和管理。采用湖南桃林铅锌尾矿库中的尾矿模拟酸雨条件进行淋溶实验,研究发现重金属Pb、Zn、Cu、Mn含量分别为1252.5,849.4,363.1,280.0mg/kg。其中,Pb、Zn主要以残渣态存在,分别占69.7%和53.8%;Cu主要以有机结合态存在,占67.0%;Mn主要以铁锰氧化态、有机结合态和残渣态存在,共占90.0%。在静态淋溶实验中,固液比越大、模拟酸雨pH值越小,重金属的浸出浓度越大。在动态淋溶实验中,Zn、Mn浸出浓度随时间呈现减小趋势,而Pb和Cu浸出浓度随时间先增大,后减小。     

Optimizing carbon sequestration in commercial forests by integrating carbon management objectives in wood supply modeling

This paper provides a methodology for generating forest management plans, which explicitly maximize carbon (C) sequestration at the forest-landscape level. This paper takes advantage of concepts first presented in a paper by Meng et al. (2003; Mitigation Adaptation Strategies Global Change 8:371–403) by integrating C-sequestration objective functions in existing wood supply models. Carbon-stock calculations performed in Woodstock^TM (RemSoft Inc.) are based on C yields generated from volume table data obtained from local Forest Development Survey plots and a series of wood volume-to-C content conversion factors specified in von Mirbach (2000). The approach is used to investigate the impact of three demonstration forest-management scenarios on the C budget in a 110,000 ha forest in south-central New Brunswick, Canada. Explicit demonstration scenarios addressed include (1) maximizing timber extraction either by clearcut or selection harvesting for greatest revenue generation, (2) maximizing total C storage in the forest landscape and in wood products generated from harvesting, and (3) maximizing C storage together with revenue generation. The level of clearcut harvesting was greatest for scenario 1 (≥15 × 10⁴ m³ of wood and ≥943 ha of land per harvesting period), and least for scenario 2 (=0 m³ per harvesting period) where selection harvesting dominated. Because softwood saw logs were worth more than pulpwood ($60 m⁻³ vs. $40 m⁻³) and were strategic to the long-term storage of C, the production of softwood saw logs exceeded the production of pulpwood in all scenarios. Selection harvesting was generally the preferred harvesting method across scenarios. Only in scenario 1 did levels of clearcut harvesting occasionally exceed those of selection harvesting, mainly in the removal of old, dilapidated stands early in the simulation (i.e., during periods 1 through 3). Scenario 2 provided the greatest total C-storage increase over 80 years (i.e., 14 × 10⁶ Mg C, or roughly 264 Mg ha⁻¹) at a cost of $111 per Mg C due to lost revenues. Scenarios 3 and 1 produced reduced storage rates of roughly 9 × 10⁶ Mg C and 3 × 10⁶ Mg C, respectively; about 64% and 22% of the total, 80-year C storage calculated in scenario 2. The bulk of the C in scenario 2 was stored in the forest, amounting to about 76% of the total C sequestered.     

Quantifying and managing regional greenhouse gas emissions：Waste sector of Daejeon, Korea

A credible accounting of national and regional inventories for the greenhouse gas （GHG） reduction has emerged as one of the most significant current discussions. This article assessed the regional GHG emissions by three categories of the waste sector in Daejeon Metropolitan City （DMC）, Korea, examined the potential for DMC to reduce GHG emission, and discussed the methodology modified from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Korea national guidelines. During the last five years, DMC＇s overall GHG emissions were 239 thousand tons C02 eq./year from eleven public environmental infrastructure facilities, with a population of 1.52 million. Of the three categories, solid waste treatment/disposal contributes 68%, whilst wastewater treatment and others contribute 22% and 10% respectively. Among GHG unit emissions per ton of waste treatment, the biggest contributor was waste incineration of 694 kg CO2 eq./ton, followed by waste disposal of 483 kg CO2 eq./ton, biological treatment of solid waste of 209 kg CO2 eq./ton, wastewater treatment of 0.241 kg CO2 eq./m3, and public water supplies of 0.067 kg CO2 eq./m3. Furthermore, it is suggested that the potential in reducing GHG emissions from landfill process can be as high as 47.5% by increasing landfill gas recovery up to 50%. Therefore, it is apparent that reduction strategies for the main contributors of GHG emissions should take precedence over minor contributors and lead to the best practice for managing GHGs abatement.