What is acid mine drainage equation?

Acid mine drainage depletes the buffering ability of water by neutralizing carbonate and bicarbonate ions to form carbonic acid (H₂CO₃). H⁺ + CO₃ ^{2 –} <--> HCO^{3 –}H⁺ + HCO^{3 –} <--> H₂CO₃.

How do you identify acid mine drainage?

Acid drainage is often marked by “yellow boy,” an orange-yellow substance (visible in the photo on this page) that occurs when the pH of acidic mine-influenced water raises above pH 3 (approaching more neutral conditions), so that the previously dissolved iron precipitates out.

How is acid mine drainage treated?

Some common methods include: Reclamation of contaminated land by (1) adding lime or other alkaline materials to neutralize the acidity, and (2) adding uncontaminated top soil, planting vegetation, and modifying slopes to stabilize the soil and reduce infiltration of surface water into underlying contaminated material.

Does mining cause acid drainage?

Metal mines may generate highly acidic discharges where the ore is a sulfide mineral or is associated with pyrite. … The most commonly mined ore of copper, chalcopyrite, is itself a copper-iron-sulfide and occurs with a range of other sulfides. Thus, copper mines are often major culprits of acid mine drainage.

What is the main reason for acid mine drainage Mcq?

What is the main reason for acid mine drainage? Explanation: Dirty gold mining often leads to a persistent problem known as acid mine drainage. The problem results when underground rock disturbed by mining is newly exposed to air and water.

How is acid mine drainage produced?

Acid mine drainage is the formation and movement of highly acidic water rich in heavy metals. This acidic water forms through the chemical reaction of surface water (rainwater, snowmelt, pond water) and shallow subsurface water with rocks that contain sulfur-bearing minerals, resulting in sulfuric acid.

What mineral causes acid mine drainage?

pyrite Mine drainage is formed when pyrite (an iron sulfide) is exposed and reacts with air and water to form sulfuric acid and dissolved iron.

What type of mining causes acid mine drainage?

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is currently the main pollutant of surface water in the mid-Atlantic region. AMD is caused when water flows over or through sulfur-bearing materials forming solutions of net acidity. AMD comes mainly from abandoned coal mines and currently active mining.

What metals are in acid mine drainage?

This produces a mine water discharge characterized by elevated acidity, high concentration of sulfates and metals such as Fe, Cu, Zn, Co, Cr, Mn, Pb, Cd and other elements [8].

How does acid mine drainage affect humans?

Acid Mine Drainage affects thousands of miles of streams every year and needs to be treated. Humans need clean drinking water to survive and our mines could potentially ruin our groundwater. Then all well have to survive is underground drinking water that is also affected every year from other forms of pollution.

How does acid mine drainage affect water quality?

Water Quality. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is generally a non-point-source water pollutant. … Acid mine drainage impacts stream and river ecosystems by increasing acidity, depleting oxygen, and releasing heavy metals such as aluminum (Al^{3 +}), iron (Fe^{3 +}), manganese (Mn^{2 +}), and zinc (Zn^{2 +}).

How long will Acid Mine Drainage continue?

It is not unusual for surface or underground mines to continue to yield AMD for many years or decades after mining has ceased. Legacy mining in the Appalachian Coal Region has numerous mines that continue to yield AMD more than 100 years after closure.

Why is acid mine drainage bad?

Mines crush a lot of rock. Often, because of where valuable metals are found, those rocks contain sulphides, which react with air to make acid. That acid can then leach metals out of the rock and contaminate water, making it unsafe for consumption.

What causes acid mine drainage quizlet?

What causes acid drainage? Mining exposes unweathered rock surfaces that react with water and the atmosphere to generate acids. The large amount of freshly exposed rock provides the sulfur to generate sulfuric acid.

What is the impact on the environment of acid mine drainage during mining?

If mining waste is acid-generating, the impacts to fish, animals and plants can be severe. The most immediate and serious impacts of acid mine drainage are on natural waterways. High levels of dissolved metals may kill off all of the resident fish and aquatic life.

What damage may be caused by mining?

Mine exploration, construction, operation, and maintenance may result in land-use change, and may have associated negative impacts on environments, including deforestation, erosion, contamination and alteration of soil profiles, contamination of local streams and wetlands, and an increase in noise level, dust and …

What would you do to prevent environmental damage?

Use public transport, cycle or walk instead of using a car. Use facilities and trips run by local people whenever possible. Don’t be tempted to touch wildlife and disturb habitats whether on land, at the coast or under water. Be careful what you choose to bring home as a holiday souvenir.

Why transport is bad for the environment?

The environmental effects of transport is significant because transport is a major user of energy, and burns most of the world’s petroleum. This creates air pollution, including nitrous oxides and particulates, and is a significant contributor to global warming through emission of carbon dioxide.

What are three common metals found in acid mine drainage?

Acid mine drainage is acidic water laden with iron, sulfate, and other metals that forms under natural conditions when strata containing pyrite are exposed to the atmosphere or oxidizing environments.

How can land be restored after strip mining?

After the coal is stripped, mine companies are legally required to do some restoration, which usually involves replacing the exploded soil and rock—rubble—covering it with a layer of topsoil, and seeding it with anything that will hold the ground together.

What does acid mine drainage smell like?

Pyrite goes through a series of reactions when it is exposed to the environment, which can occur when land is disturbed. When exposed to oxygen and water, pyrite forms yellow and white salts of iron sulfate and sulfuric acid. … Another way to tell if a stream is impacted by AMD is if the water has a rotten egg smell.

Which mineral is principally responsible for acid mine drainage and what is the reaction?

The main cause of acid mine drainage is the occurrence of pyrite and sulphide minerals with the rock of coal seams. During mining these sulphide minerals get exposed to air and mine water, then oxidation and hydrolysis results in the generation of acid mine drainage.

What is acid mine drainage and how it affects human and environment?

Acid mine drainage is a worldwide problem, leading to ecological destruction in watersheds and the contamination of human water sources by sulfuric acid and heavy metals, including arsenic, copper, and lead.

How Acid mine drainage affects ecosystems in Africa negatively?

The acidic water increases the solubility of aluminium and heavy metals which may be present in the affected region. The overall effect is to render the water toxic to varying degrees.

Why is mine water blue?

Likely Cause is Chloride Buildup “When you wash sand and gravel,” he said, “you often get very blue water. Most times it is high in chlorides. … Over time, the chloride concentration builds up and causes water to change color. “Once a mine’s ponds get super saturated, they are no use to miners.

What are the common health problems of mining to miners?

Silicosis, pneumoconiosis (black lung disease), occupational hearing loss, and other medical problems have long been associated with mining operations.