Leaching Potentials of Coal Spoil and Refuse: Acid-Base Interactions and Electrical Conductivity

Orndorff, Zenah W.; Daniels, W. Lee; Beck, Mike; Eick, Matt

doi:10.21000/jasmr10010736

Cited by 15 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In a recent column study, Orndorff et al (2010) found that regardless of leachate pH, samples with significant levels of sulfides release much larger quantities of TDS over extended periods of time. Thus, even circumneutral mine discharges can contain high levels of sulfates as long as sufficient reactive carbonates are present in the source spoils.…”

Section: Background On Spoil Weathering and Tds Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, and Na ? (Hartman et al 2005;Orndorff et al 2010;Agouridis et al 2012) with SO 4 2-and Ca 2? dominating the mass of ions released in circumneutral waters.…”

Section: Background On Spoil Weathering and Tds Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, little if any work has been reported to date on the utility of either ABA or other techniques to predict bulk TDS, primarily due the fact that regulatory pressure on TDS discharge is relatively recent. Several significant recent studies are documented below including the large scale field spoil leaching study by Agouridis et al (2012) in Kentucky and column leaching studies (Orndorff et al 2010;Daniels et al 2013Daniels et al , 2014 on Virginia and central Appalachian region spoils.…”

Section: Background On Spoil Weathering and Tds Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They concluded that the leaching columns provided the best approximations of field weathering conditions. Historically, column leaching studies have been favored for the more accurate prediction of pH/acidity generation via pyrite oxidation, TDS release from mine spoil, and the kinetics of trace metal leaching (Hood and Oertel 1984;Halverson and Gentry 1990;Caruccio et al 1993;Daniels et al 2009;Orndorff et al 2010). However, column leaching studies are labor intensive and take many months to complete while static tests such as the components of ABA (pyritic-S, neutralization potentials, etc.)…”

Section: Background On Spoil Weathering and Tds Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As reactive sulfides are largely oxidized, carbonate dissolution becomes dominant, and TDS emission slows . In non-sulfidic materials, leachate EC/TDS values peak within the first few leaching cycles and then drop quickly and eventually level off after 10-20 leaching events (Halverson and Gentry 1990;Hood and Oertel 1984;Orndorff et al 2010). In the previously mentioned large scale field study by Agouridis et al (2012), EC levels from unweathered gray sandstone initially exceeded 1500 ls/cm, but approached 500 ls/cm within 2 years.…”

Section: Background On Spoil Weathering and Tds Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Predicting release and aquatic effects of total dissolved solids from Appalachian USA coal mines

Daniels

Zipper

Orndorff

2014

Int J Coal Sci Technol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Appalachian USA coal mines have been implicated as major stressors to aquatic life in headwater streams via discharge of total dissolved solids (TDS). This paper summarizes column leaching studies of spoils (n [ 50) and refuse and TDS effects on local water quality and biotic response. The initial pH of most materials is near-neutral. Initial specific conductance (SC) values range from 500-1,000 to [3,000 ls/cm, but 2/3 of materials drop below 500 ls/cm after several pore volumes of leaching. Studies of mining-influenced streams have found altered aquatic life, relative to natural conditions with no mining influence, at SC ranging from *200 to *700 ls/cm with depressed aquatic life consistently associated with elevated TDS; mechanisms causing such effects are under investigation. We suggest that active mine operations should be modified to place high TDS producing materials in ways that reduce contact with percolating drainage waters.

show abstract

Section: Background On Spoil Weathering and Tds Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, and Na ? (Hartman et al 2005;Orndorff et al 2010;Agouridis et al 2012) with SO 4 2-and Ca 2? dominating the mass of ions released in circumneutral waters.…”

Section: Background On Spoil Weathering and Tds Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background On Spoil Weathering and Tds Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background On Spoil Weathering and Tds Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background On Spoil Weathering and Tds Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Predicting release and aquatic effects of total dissolved solids from Appalachian USA coal mines

Daniels

Zipper

Orndorff

2014

Int J Coal Sci Technol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Restoring Forests and Associated Ecosystem Services on Appalachian Coal Surface Mines

Zipper

Burger

Skousen

et al. 2011

Environmental Management

289

265

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Surface coal mining in Appalachia has caused extensive replacement of forest with non-forested land cover, much of which is unmanaged and unproductive. Although forested ecosystems are valued by society for both marketable products and ecosystem services, forests have not been restored on most Appalachian mined lands because traditional reclamation practices, encouraged by regulatory policies, created conditions poorly suited for reforestation. Reclamation scientists have studied productive forests growing on older mine sites, established forest vegetation experimentally on recent mines, and identified mine reclamation practices that encourage forest vegetation re-establishment. Based on these findings, they developed a Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) that can be employed by coal mining firms to restore forest vegetation. Scientists and mine regulators, working collaboratively, have communicated the FRA to the coal industry and to regulatory enforcement personnel. Today, the FRA is used routinely by many coal mining firms, and thousands of mined hectares have been reclaimed to restore productive mine soils and planted with native forest trees. Reclamation of coal mines using the FRA is expected to restore these lands' capabilities to provide forest-based ecosystem services, such as wood production, atmospheric carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and water quality protection to a greater extent than conventional reclamation practices.

show abstract

An assessment of structural attributes and ecosystem function in restored Virginia coalfield streams

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As human populations continue to grow, expanding energy needs enhance freshwater resource conservation challenges. Mining for coal has significantly altered the landscape in the United States' Appalachian region, with significant negative effects on downstream water quality and ecosystem function. With recent policy changes concerning the impacts of coal mining on aquatic ecosystems, many coal companies choose to restore sections of stream located on older coal mining areas as mandated compensatory mitigation for mining-related stream disturbances. We assessed such mitigation using measures of both structure and function in restored and unrestored streams affected by surface mining operations. Macroinvertebrate assemblages in streams affected by older mining and recent restoration practices were rated as ''stressed'' and ''severely stressed,'' with streams varying from fair to optimal in terms of habitat. All streams were net heterotrophic with varying levels of ammonium uptake. No site differences were found for any measured physicochemical or functional variables, while invertebrate community metric scores were higher in unrestored streams. There were also no significant relationships found between structural and functional measurements in these streams. Principal components analysis implicated the importance of measuring physicochemical, structural, and functional variables in further analyses of restoration success. This study was unable to document pre-disturbance conditions, and as a result, we were unable to find evidence that restoration is currently having a significant effect on ecosystem processes within these systems. Further research is needed to understand the changes in ecosystem structure and function that come with time.

show abstract

Leaching Potentials of Coal Spoil and Refuse: Acid-Base Interactions and Electrical Conductivity

Cited by 15 publications

References 10 publications

Predicting release and aquatic effects of total dissolved solids from Appalachian USA coal mines

Predicting release and aquatic effects of total dissolved solids from Appalachian USA coal mines

Restoring Forests and Associated Ecosystem Services on Appalachian Coal Surface Mines

An assessment of structural attributes and ecosystem function in restored Virginia coalfield streams

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About