ENV100Y5 Lecture 54: Mineral Resources and Mining 3 - Module 6 Session 63
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ENV100Y5 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Pollution from smelting and refining - impacts mostly when you burn stuff. Dust from waste rock and tailings piles. Health impacts of pollution from smelting, etc. Acid mine drainage is a problem for both surface and subsurface mines. Acid mine drainage: sulfide minerals form sulfuric acid and flow into waterways. As the sulfuric acid runs off, it allows effluent to leach metals from the rocks, many of which are toxic, and coming out as acid rich effluent - ex. aluminum. This toxic liquid is called leachate - the water percolating through material (rocks and waste piles) and picking up stuff from it and comes out the other side. Amd is probably the single biggest problem associated with mining in canada today. Mining industry in north america takes amd very seriously. Mine environment neutral drainage (mend) established in canada in 1988. Development of new technologies and approaches to prevent, control, and remediate the effects of acid mine drainage.
