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British Columbia Mine Reclamation Symposium

Electrochemical cover technology to prevent the formation of acid mine drainage Lin, Mei; Seed, Leonard P.; Yetman, Daren; Fyfe, Joseph; Chesworth, Ward; Shelp, Gene

Abstract

One of the most serious problems facing the mining industry is the oxidation of sulphide rich mine tailings and sulphide rich ore bodies that ultimately results in the release of metal-rich acidic waters. ENPAR Technologies Inc. has developed a patented electrochemical technology to prevent the formation of acid mine/acid rock drainage (AMD/ARD). This new approach complements conventional reclamation strategies. Sulphide minerals exhibit semiconductor properties and consequently are amenable to electrochemical manipulation. Electronegative polarization can be used to prevent the oxidation of sulphide rich tailings deposits in a manner similar to that used in cathodic protection of steel structures. The resulting cathodic polarization leads to in-situ electrochemical reduction of oxygen at the tailings/soil interface and a shift of the redox potential of the sulphide minerals to a stability field where oxidation is notthermodynamically favoured. Field testing of the technology has been completed at a 4 hectare tailings site near Sudbury, Ontario (Canada). Electrochemical treatment successfully removed oxygen from infiltrating water, increased the stability of the tailings (lower redox potential), and polarized the tailings. A modification of the design for high sulphide tailings has been developed for sulphide containing waste rock and low sulphide tailings.

Item Metadata

Title
Electrochemical cover technology to prevent the formation of acid mine drainage
Creator
Lin, Mei; Seed, Leonard P.; Yetman, Daren; Fyfe, Joseph; Chesworth, Ward; Shelp, Gene
Contributor
British Columbia Mine Reclamation Symposium; University of British Columbia. Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering
Date Issued
2001
Description
One of the most serious problems facing the mining industry is the oxidation of sulphide rich mine tailings and sulphide rich ore bodies that ultimately results in the release of metal-rich acidic waters. ENPAR Technologies Inc. has developed a patented electrochemical technology to prevent the formation of acid mine/acid rock drainage (AMD/ARD). This new approach complements conventional reclamation strategies. Sulphide minerals exhibit semiconductor properties and consequently are amenable to electrochemical manipulation. Electronegative polarization can be used to prevent the oxidation of sulphide rich tailings deposits in a manner similar to that used in cathodic protection of steel structures. The resulting cathodic polarization leads to in-situ electrochemical reduction of oxygen at the tailings/soil interface and a shift of the redox potential of the sulphide minerals to a stability field where oxidation is notthermodynamically favoured. Field testing of the technology has been completed at a 4 hectare tailings site near Sudbury, Ontario (Canada). Electrochemical treatment successfully removed oxygen from infiltrating water, increased the stability of the tailings (lower redox potential), and polarized the tailings. A modification of the design for high sulphide tailings has been developed for sulphide containing waste rock and low sulphide tailings.
Extent
636493 bytes
Genre
Conference Paper
Type
Text
File Format
application/pdf
Language
eng
Date Available
2009-06-26
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0042382
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/9710
Affiliation
Non UBC
Peer Review Status
Unreviewed
Scholarly Level
Other
Copyright Holder
British Columbia Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International