Acid Mine Drainage
Verum Group has a decades long history of studying and treating acid mine drainage - the acidic water laden with iron, sulfate, and other metals that can form both under natural conditions or by mining when strata containing pyrite are exposed to the air and oxidise. This acidic water can have a very detrimental effect on the natural ecosystem.
Acid mine drainage in a stream on the West Coast.
With both international and national clients, Verum Group have the expertise to determine the optimal treatment processes for Acid Mine Drainage.
Case Study - Determining the optimal treatment for Acid Mine Drainage
Verum group chemist Dr Hana Christenson recently completed a detailed chemical study to determine the optimal treatment process required for an acidic mine drainage for an international client.
The Verum Group team looked at several types of mine drainage chemistry from the mine site and established the amount of chemical reagents required to increase pH, neutralise and precipitate Lewis acid metals, and determine the amount of co-precipitation and adsorption of trace elements under various treatment scenarios.
The studies were also used to measure precipitate removal rates and the effectiveness of chemical additives to promote coagulation and settling. These studies feed directly into the design of waste water treatment plants for the minerals sector, and similar studies can be completed for any type of waste water that requires treatment. Often with water treatment there are optimisation opportunities related to geochemical and mineralogical processes that the experienced team at Verum Group have the expertise to identify, that might otherwise be missed.
More information
For more about Acid Mine Drainage monitoring and remediation, contact our Environmental team led by Technical Manager & Environmental Chemist Rachel Skews.
Email: enviro@verumgroup.co.nz
