Evaluation of Acid-Base Accounting to Predict the Quality of Drainage at Surface Coal Mines in Pennsylvania, U.S.A

Brady, Keith B.C.; Perry, Eric F.; Beam, Richard L.; Bisko, David c.; Gardner, M.; Tarantino, JT

doi:10.21000/jasmr94010138

Cited by 22 publications

(22 citation statements)

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“…Studies analyzing ABA have used both methods. The results have been mixed (Brady and Cravotta, 1992; Brady et al, 1994). In general, the 31.25 factor for overburden MPA calculation is most commonly used.…”

Section: Summary Of Water Quality Prediction From Studies In West Virmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Researchers at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) developed a method of volume adjustment with measurements of the areas to be mined (Brady et al, 1994). Due to the difficulty of measuring the surface area of each individual stratum, only the surface area of the upper and lower strata was measured.…”

Section: Summary Of Water Quality Prediction From Studies In West Virmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acid–Base Accounting to Predict Post‐Mining Drainage Quality on Surface Mines

et al. 2002

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Acid-base accounting (ABA) is an analytical procedure that provides values to help assess the acid-producing and acid-neutralizing potential of overburden rocks prior to coal mining and other large-scale excavations. This procedure was developed by West Virginia University scientists during the 1960s. After the passage of laws requiring an assessment of surface mining on water quality, ABA became a preferred method to predict post-mining water quality, and permitting decisions for surface mines are largely based on the values determined by ABA. To predict the post-mining water quality, the amount of acid-producing rock is compared with the amount of acid-neutralizing rock, and a prediction of the water quality at the site (whether acid or alkaline) is obtained. We gathered geologic and geographic data for 56 mined sites in West Virginia, which allowed us to estimate total overburden amounts, and values were determined for maximum potential acidity (MPA), neutralization potential (NP), net neutralization potential (NNP), and NP to MPA ratios for each site based on ABA. These values were correlated to post-mining water quality from springs or seeps on the mined property. Overburden mass was determined by three methods, with the method used by Pennsylvania researchers showing the most accurate results for overburden mass. A poor relationship existed between MPA and post-mining water quality, NP was intermediate, and NNP and the NP to MPA ratio showed the best prediction accuracy. In this study, NNP and the NP to MPA ratio gave identical water quality prediction results. Therefore, with NP to MPA ratios, values were separated into categories: <1 should produce acid drainage, between 1 and 2 can produce either acid or alkaline water conditions, and >2 should produce alkaline water. On our 56 surface mined sites, NP to MPA ratios varied from 0.1 to 31, and six sites (11%) did not fit the expected pattern using this category approach. Two sites with ratios <1 did not produce acid drainage as predicted (the drainage was neutral), and four sites with a ratio >2 produced acid drainage when they should not have. These latter four sites were either mined very slowly, had nonrepresentative ABA data, received water from an adjacent underground mine, or had a surface mining practice that degraded the water. In general, an NP to MPA ratio of <1 produced mostly acid drainage sites, between 1 and 2 produced mostly alkaline drainage sites, while NP to MPA ratios >2 produced alkaline drainage with a few exceptions. Using these values, ABA is a good tool to assess overburden quality before surface mining and to predict post-mining drainage quality after mining. The interpretation from ABA values was correct in 50 out of 52 cases (96%), excluding the four anomalous sites, which had acid water for reasons other than overburden quality.

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Section: Summary Of Water Quality Prediction From Studies In West Virmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Summary Of Water Quality Prediction From Studies In West Virmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acid–Base Accounting to Predict Post‐Mining Drainage Quality on Surface Mines

et al. 2002

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“…Wood ash also significantly (P ≤ 0.001) decreased the soil exchangeable hydrogen in the Rubona Ultisol from the higher level of the control soils to the lowest levels below 0.25 cmolc kg −1 . Brady et al (1994), Charles et al (1999), Mokolobate and Haynes (2002), Naramabuye and Haynes (2006), and Fageria and Baligar (2005) have shown that the presence of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) in the liming materials was responsible for the rise in the soil pH and decrease of soil exchangeable hydrogen, according to the equations CaCO 3 + H + → HCO 3 − + Ca 2+ ; HCO 3 − + H + → CO 2 + H 2 O (Fageria & Baligar 2005). The neutralization of H + then leads to the rise in soil pH.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Liming and sulfur amendments improve growth and yields of maize in RubonaUltisoland NyamifumbaOxisol

Sirikare

Marwa

Semu

et al. 2015

Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Sc

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Aluminum toxicity is a major limitation to crop production on highly weathered and leached soils in Rwanda. Moreover, sulfur though widely deficient in Rwanda acidic soils has received little attention by soil fertility researchers. A field experiment on maize response and soil nutrients status to liming materials of travertines at 3.4 t ha −1 , ash wood 1.2 t ha −1 of CaO equivalent and sulfur at 10 kg ha −1 combined with NPK at 80, 60, and 45 kg ha −1 respectively was conducted in Rubona Ultisol and Nyamifumba Oxisol. Results revealed that travertine and wood ash increased the soil pH from 4.7 to 5.8 or higher and decreased exchangeable Al 3+ and H + to near 0 cmolc kg −1 . Soil nutrients generally increased to high or medium ranges for crop production. Leaf dry biomass, plant height and maize grain yields were significantly higher in Rubona Ultisol than in Nyamifumba Oxisol. Plots that received wood ash, with NPKS or with NPK, generally had higher maize yields, followed by those which received travertines and NPKS or NPK which had maize growth response as compared to the control plots which received NPK only. Thereby, a combination of wood ash with NPKS or NPK, travertines with NPKS was found to neutralize soil aluminum toxicity, increase soil nutrients status to required levels for plant growth and increase maize yields significantly.

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“…The presence or absence of calcareous carbonate and silicate minerals in the rock sample/materials is extremely important in the AMD generation [12,13]. If the amount of these minerals in rocks is sufficient to offset the acid producing potential of the material, the acid drainage will not eventuate due to the neutralisation process, as long as the reaction rates of the respective materials are similar.…”

Section: Amd Generation and Its Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a new covering strategy in Indonesian coal mines to control acid mine drainage generation: a laboratory-scale result

Shimada

Kusuma

Hiroto

et al. 2012

International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment

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The waste dump of sulphide-containing rocks is one of the potential acid mine drainage sources, since it contains a huge amount of readily oxidised sulphide mineral, due to its exposure to air and water. The application of the dry cover system is regarded as one of the best practices since it prevents acid mine drainage of the waste rock dump at the surface coal mine. However, the implementation of the dry cover system in field practice has faced several obstacles due to the limited number of cover materials. The nature of geological condition is considered to be a controlled issue, whilst the problem is the mining method and equipment size. This article describes the acid generation mechanism and its control, application of cover system and the problems that are faced in Indonesian coal mines, whilst discussing the preliminary laboratory results of multi-layer cover systems. It finally proposes a new covering strategy in an attempt to overcome the problem.Keywords: surface coal mine; multi-layer cover system; acid mine drainage; prevention 1. Introduction Acid mine drainage (AMD) occurs when sulphide minerals, such as pyrite and marcasite, are exposed to oxidising conditions and, in the absence of alkaline materials, these are oxidised in the presence of water and oxygen to form highly acidic and sulphate-rich drainage [1]. AMD may cause a number of potential problems for the environment and for human beings. For example, the impact on the aquatic life and communities in the downstream environment, which results in acidity and dissolved metals, and the effect on groundwater quality and difficulties in re-vegetation. The neutralisation of the excess of AMD may take a long time, ranging from weeks, years and even decades after the mining activity has ceased.The threat of AMD has been faced not only by the metal mines associated with sulphide deposit, but also by many of the coal mines, especially surface coal mines. Although coal-bearing rock typically has lower sulphide content compared to the metal ores, due to its low durability characteristics, AMD problems at the coal mines are as severe as in the metal mines. This is also exacerbated by the nature of coal

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Evaluation of Acid-Base Accounting to Predict the Quality of Drainage at Surface Coal Mines in Pennsylvania, U.S.A

Cited by 22 publications

References 5 publications

Acid–Base Accounting to Predict Post‐Mining Drainage Quality on Surface Mines

Acid–Base Accounting to Predict Post‐Mining Drainage Quality on Surface Mines

Liming and sulfur amendments improve growth and yields of maize in RubonaUltisoland NyamifumbaOxisol

Development of a new covering strategy in Indonesian coal mines to control acid mine drainage generation: a laboratory-scale result

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