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Younger, P. L., Banwart, S. A., & Hedin, R. S. (2002). Mine Water – Hydrology, Pollution, Remediation. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Abstract: Nowhere is the conflict between economic progress and environmental quality more apparent than in the mineral extraction industries. The latter half of the 20th century saw major advances in the reclamation technologies. However, mine water pollution problems have not been addressed. In many cases, polluted mine water long outlives the life of the mining operation. As the true cost of long-term water treatment responsibilities has become apparent, interest has grown in the technologies that would decrease the production of contaminated water and make its treatment less costly. This is the first book to address the mine water issue head-on. The authors explain the complexities of mine water pollution by reviewing the hydrogeological context of its formation, and provide an up-to-date presentation of prevention and treatment technologies. The book will be a valuable reference for all professionals who encounter polluted mine water on a regular or occasional basis. Foreword; R. Fernández Rubio. Preface. 1. Mining and the Water Environment. 2. Mine Water Chemistry. 3. Mine Water Hydrology. 4. Active Treatment of Polluted Mine Waters. 5. Passive Treatment of Polluted Mine Waters
Keywords: mine water hydrology
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Tarutis Jr, W. J., Stark, L. R., & Williams, F. M. (1999). Sizing and performance estimation of coal mine drainage wetlands. Ecological Engineering, 12(3-4), 353–372.
Abstract: The effectiveness of wetland treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD) was assessed using three measures of performance: treatment efficiency, area-adjusted removal, and first-order removal. Mathematical relationships between these measures were derived from simple kinetic equations. Area-adjusted removal is independent of pollutant concentration (zero-order reaction kinetics), while first-order removal is dependent on concentration. Treatment efficiency is linearly related to area-adjusted removal and exponentially related to first-order removal at constant hydraulic loading rates (flow/area). Examination of previously published data from 35 natural AMD wetlands revealed that statistically significant correlations exist between several of the performance measures for both iron and manganese removal, but these correlations are potentially spurious because these measures are derived from, and are mathematical rearrangements of, the same operating data. The use of treatment efficiency as a measure of performance between wetlands is not recommended because it is a relative measure that does not account for influent concentration differences. Area-adjusted removal accounts for mass loading effects, but it fails to separate the flow and concentration components, which is necessary if removal is first-order. Available empirical evidence suggests that AMD pollutant removal is better described by first-order kinetics. If removal is first-order, the use of area-adjusted rates for determining the wetland area required for treating relatively low pollutant concentrations will result in undersized wetlands. The effects of concentration and flow rate on wetland area predictions for constant influent loading rates also depend on the kinetics of pollutant removal. If removal is zero-order, the wetland area required to treat a discharge to meet some target effluent concentration is a decreasing linear function of influent concentration (and an inverse function of flow rate). However, if removal is first-order, the required wetland area is a non-linear function of the relative influent concentration. Further research is needed for developing accurate first-order rate constants as a function of influent water chemistry and ecosystem characteristics in order to successfully apply the first-order removal model to the design of more effective AMD wetland treatment systems.
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Jarvis, A. P., & Younger, P. L. (1999). Design, construction and performance of a full-scare compost wetland for mine-spoil drainage treatment at quaking houses. Jciwem, 13(5), 313–318.
Abstract: Acidic spoil-heap drainage, containing elevated concentrations of iron, aluminium and manganese, has been polluting the Stanley Burn in County Durham for nearly two decades. Following the success of a pilot-scale wetland (the first application of its kind in Europe), a full-scale wetland was installed. Waste manures and composts have been used as the main substrate which is contained within embankments constructed from compacted pulverized fuel ash. The constructed wetland, which cost less than £20,000 to build, has consistently reduced iron and aluminium concentrations and has markedly lowered the acidity of the drainage. A third phase of activities at the site aims to identify and eliminate pollutant-release 'hot spots' within the spoil.
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Wiseman, I. M., Edwards, P. J., & Rutt, G. P. (2003). Recovery of an aquatic ecosystem following treatment of abandoned mine drainage with constructed wetlands. Land Contam. Reclam., 11(2), 221–230.
Abstract: Seven kilometres of the River Pelenna in South Wales were impacted for approximately 30 years by discharges from abandoned coal mines. Elevated iron and low pH caused significant ochreous staining and had detrimental effects on the river ecology. The River Pelenna Mine water project constructed a series of passive wetland treatment systems to treat these discharges. Monitoring of the performance and environmental benefits of these has been undertaken as part of an Environment Agency R&D project. This project has assessed the changes in water quality as well as monitoring populations of invertebrates, fish and birds between 1993 and 2001. Performance data from the wetlands show that on average the three systems are removing between 82 and 95% of the iron loading from the mine waters. In the rivers downstream, the dissolved iron concentration has dropped to below the Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) of 1 mg/L for the majority of the time. Increases in pH downstream of the discharges have also been demonstrated. Trout (Salmo trutta) recovered quickly following mine water treatment, returning the next year to areas that previously had no fish. Intermittent problems with overflows from the treatment systems temporarily depleted the numbers, but the latest data indicate a thriving population. The overflow problems and also background episodes of acidity have affected the recovery of the riverine invertebrates. However, there have been gradual improvements in the catchment, and in the summer of 2001 most sites held faunas which approached those found in unpolluted controls. Recovery of the invertebrate fauna is reflected in marked increases in the breeding success of riverine birds between 1996 and 2001. This study has shown that constructed wetlands can be an effective, low cost and sustainable solution to ecological damage caused by abandoned mine drainage.
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Banks, S. B. (2003). The Coal Authority Minewater Treatment Programme: An update on the performance of operational schemes. Land Contam. Reclam., 11(2), 161–164.
Abstract: The performance of mine water treatment schemes, operated under the Coal Authority's national Minewater Treatment Programme, is summarised. Most schemes for which data are available perform successfully and remove over 90% iron. Mean area-adjusted iron removal rates for reedbed components of treatment schemes, range from 1.5 to 5.5 g Fe/m2, with percentage iron removal rates ranging from 68% to 99%. In the majority of cases, calculated area-adjusted removal rates are limited by influent iron loadings, and the empirical sizing criterion for aerobic wetlands, based on American removal rates of 10 g Fe/m2day, remains a valuable tool in the initial stages of treatment system design and estimation of land area requirements. Where a number of schemes have required modification after becoming operational, due consideration must always be given to the potential for dramatic increases in influent iron loadings, and to how the balance between performance efficiency and aesthetic appearance can best be achieved. Continual review and feedback on the performance of treatment systems, and the problems encountered during design implementation, will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Minewater Treatment Programme within the UK.
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