关键词:
Mine waste
Acid-base accounting
Percolation tests
Environmental geochemistry
Morocco
摘要:
The abandoned Sidi Bou Othmane mine, located 2.8 km northeast of Sidi Bou Othmane town and 35 km northwest of Marrakech city (a semi-arid climate region), produced lead and zinc ores from 1953 to 1980. It generated more than 140,000 t of solid waste that were stored next to the mine. Exposed to atmospheric conditions (air, water), the sulfides contained in the waste can oxidize and produce mine drainage capable of mobilizing and releasing high levels of potentially toxic elements. To better predict future mine drainage chemistry, various samples of residues (tailings) and sterile materials (waste rock) were collected from this site. Their total sulfur contents range from 0.665 to 2.85 wt%, some of which is already oxidized. Modified Sobek-type acid base accounting (ABA) tests showed that the Sidi Bou Othmane mining waste is rich in carbonates with an acid potential (AP) ranging from 5 to 92 kg CaCO3/t and a strong net neutralization potential (NNP) ranging from 44 to 305 kg CaCO3/t. Kinetic tests in mini leaching cells showed that the percolation waters had a circumneutral pH (between 6.3 and 7.9) throughout the duration of the 16 week test. Sulfate concentrations in the rinse water samples ranged from 37 to 1454 mg/L. The iron and zinc concentrations ranged from 1.2 to 3.7 mg/L and from 2 to 19 mg/L, respectively. Concentrations of lead, nickel, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium were minimal or below the detection limit. The Sidi Bou Othmane mining waste is classified as non-acid-generating.