Abstract
Environmental geochemical data indicate that interburden and overburden have low to nil potential to generate acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD); on the other hand, a proportion of tailings and rejects are a likely source of AMD. As a result, landforms storing these wastes may represent a long-term AMD source hazard.
To better define the hazard for AMD associated landforms containing coal processing wastes field and laboratory investigations of waste landforms (coal tailings, coarse rejects and remnant run-of-mine stockpile coal) at three Australian coal mines are in progress to determine the waste characteristics, mechanisms of oxygen supply, rates of sulfide mineral oxidation and the potential for AMD, and the role of carbon as an oxygen consumer within the landforms potentially reducing oxygen consumption rates by sulfide minerals.
Sonic drilling was undertaken to collect high quality samples for geochemical characterisation and to provide access for the measurement of temperature, oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations and air permeability.
Geochemical characterisation has been undertaken to provide data for assessing the roles of organic and inorganic compounds in the development of AMD.
The scope of these multi-year studies, project status and initial results will be presented.