Evaluation of seepage and acid generation potential from evaporation ponds, iron duke pyrite mine, Mazowe Valley, Zimbabwe

摘要

Iron Duke Pyrite Mine lies in the Mazowe Valley of northern Zimbabwe. Several urban areas and commercial farmers are major water users in the catchment. Accordingly, managing the impact of mining operations on water quality in the Mazowe Valley must be a major priority for sustainable development in this area.The mine disposes of its waste water via evaporation ponds. Some of the water in the ponds evaporates and some is lost through seepage to groundwater. Results of a water budget analysis of the ponds showed that 160.5m(3) per day of acidic effluent with a pH of 2 and elevated levels of iron and sulphate was being lost through seepage.As the wastewater evaporates, the secondary minerals melanterite and hexahydrite precipitate. The solid material in the pond was found to contain 20% iron and 14% sulphate, which is far more than was found dissolved within the pond water. Despite this, the pond water is undersaturated with respect to both iron and sulphate. Acid generation tests on the solid material in the pond indicate a minimum of 540,000 mol and a maximum of 1,610,309 mol of acid are generated. The variation can be related to exposure to oxygen: material near the edges of the pond is more exposed to oxygen and has already reacted further than material from the centre of the pond; accordingly less acid can be generated. The acidity generated by the pond is due to the unreacted pyrite that is found in fine particles suspended in mine waters.Based on these results, between 20 and 60metric tonnes of lime are required for complete neutralisation of the sediments in the pond. Although the ponds were decommissioned after the conclusion of this study, it is necessary to prevent formation of further acid mine drainage from existing sediments in the evaporation pond. This could be done by the use of reactive covers, whose compositions affect the chemistry of infiltrating water. A good reactive cover could be constructed from lime, overlain by topsoil rich in organic material. This should be followed by revegetation. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.