Acid drainage fiasco 'unavoidable'

[zulgin]

Exactly. But what I want to know is why this is allowed to happen in the first place. No body takes a **** in their living room. Why? Because it's unsanitary and it would be a mess. There are fasilities made available for that, the toilet. So why is dumping mine waistage into our water fine. Even if it is accidental, there should have been measures put in place to prevent this.

unfortunately our economy is run on mining, however they could have done more do prevent this. Regardless instead of blaming we should find a solution, perhaps the dolomite can neutralize the water?

 

[The_Unbeliever]

unfortunately our economy is run on mining, however they could have done more do prevent this. Regardless instead of blaming we should find a solution, perhaps the dolomite can neutralize the water?

can you say sinkhole?

because that's what will happen - acidic water attacks dolomite, and this will cause sinkholes. Ironically, the sum total of the damage caused by to-be sinkholes will be much higher than the expenditure occured should the govt pulled its socks up and did address this issue long before the time.

Interesting times.

 

[zulgin]

can you say sinkhole?

because that's what will happen - acidic water attacks dolomite, and this will cause sinkholes. Ironically, the sum total of the damage caused by to-be sinkholes will be much higher than the expenditure occured should the govt pulled its socks up and did address this issue long before the time.

Interesting times.

that is true, however dolomite is basic crystalline, so the water will be neutralized, or otherwize they can just put lime in there, which isn't much different since dolomite and limestone are chemically more or less the same apart from dolomite having magnesium in it. The problem however won't be to neutralize the acid water so much, it will be to get the precipitants out once it reacts.
It won't be 100% impossible, just ridiculously expensive, that is the price SA will pay for years of good mining.

 

[Ronjay]

that is true, however dolomite is basic crystalline, so the water will be neutralized, or otherwize they can just put lime in there, which isn't much different since dolomite and limestone are chemically more or less the same apart from dolomite having magnesium in it. The problem however won't be to neutralize the acid water so much, it will be to get the precipitants out once it reacts.
It won't be 100% impossible, just ridiculously expensive, that is the price SA will pay for years of good mining.

Well yeah, but if more planning was done to avoid this situation in the first place, then the cost of such a clean up would not have been an issue. Mining has shot itself in the foot, I'm afraid. But as you say, no point blaiming anyone, just lets find a solution. However, I do feel the biggest fail is from the various governments over the centuries of mining who failed to implement more stringent regulations to force responsible mining practice. And now this government is failing again by seemingly burying it's head in the sand and ignoring warnings. What's worse is that there is no indication that this attitude is about to change any time soon. Not surprising but quite disturbing.

 

[Ronjay]

Just to clear things up, the acid water isn't caused by mining by-products being dumped in the water, it's the mining process itself which contaminates and 'acidifies' the water somehow. Still, same applies.

Thanks for the clear up.

 

[Paul_S]

Just to clear things up, the acid water isn't caused by mining by-products being dumped in the water, it's the mining process itself which contaminates and 'acidifies' the water somehow. Still, same applies.

To be a bit more specific acid mine drainage and acid rock drainage is a natural process.
In the case of mines it is triggered by man but in nature acid rock drainage occurs all the time especially where there ground is disturbed.

What happens in lay man's terms:
Mine shafts are dug below the water table so pumps need to be used to pump out the water for mining to continue.
Once the mine closes the pumps are stopped and the water seeps back into the empty mine shafts and tunnels.
With the rock now exposed to air and water the metals in the rock start to oxidize and certain natural bacteria and archaea accelerate the process.
This oxidation process creates very acidic water which contaminates the surrounding water. In our case the problem is that the water table is rising rapidly and so the acid water has to come to the surface somewhere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_mine_drainage

My worry is that the ANC will treat this just like they did with AIDs.
They pretend the problem doesn't exist, they accuse the scientists of making up scare stories and then at the end of the day they blame it on apartheid.
Enough finger pointing and excuses, just do something, damn it!

 

[The_Assimilator]

To be a bit more specific acid mine drainage and acid rock drainage is a natural process.
In the case of mines it is triggered by man but in nature acid rock drainage occurs all the time especially where there ground is disturbed.

What happens in lay man's terms:
Mine shafts are dug below the water table so pumps need to be used to pump out the water for mining to continue.
Once the mine closes the pumps are stopped and the water seeps back into the empty mine shafts and tunnels.
With the rock now exposed to air and water the metals in the rock start to oxidize and certain natural bacteria and archaea accelerate the process.
This oxidation process creates very acidic water which contaminates the surrounding water. In our case the problem is that the water table is rising rapidly and so the acid water has to come to the surface somewhere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_mine_drainage

My worry is that the ANC will treat this just like they did with AIDs.
They pretend the problem doesn't exist, they accuse the scientists of making up scare stories and then at the end of the day they blame it on apartheid.
Enough finger pointing and excuses, just do something, damn it!

I'm sure they'll do something after Luthuli House gets swallowed up by a sinkhole.

 

[Jamal]

Whatever they do, I think the mining sector should foot the bill.

 

[zulgin]

Whatever they do, I think the mining sector should foot the bill.

Hence the mining sector would embrace Mr. Malema's proposal to nationalize it.. (I am still of the opinion that they are behind it).

 

[MiY4Gi]

This sounds kind of cool. Just imagine acid flowing down the streets, melting everything in it's path. It's like something out of a movie.

 

[Greylor]

This sounds kind of cool. Just imagine acid flowing down the streets, melting everything in it's path. It's like something out of a movie.

And then it will react differently with someones DNA and we'll have....ACID MAN! Only problem with that is that we would have to keep reminding people that he's a superhero, not a drug user

 

[MickeyD]

Update:

Acid water rising by 47cm a day

Acid mine water under the central Witwatersrand Basin has been rising at an alarming rate as a result of the past two weeks’ heavy rains in the catchment area.

http://www.miningmx.com/news/markets/Acid-water-rising-by-47cm-a-day.htm

 

[Lightscribe]

NWF national chairperson Louis Meintjies said that in Gauteng, acid mine water levels rose quickly because of the rain and that the acid water had now affected a wider area, with the water pollution spreading.

"The downpours may have diluted the concentration of heavy metals in polluted water but it certainly did not allow contaminants to dissolve," he said.

Meintjies warned that several sewage plants were flooded due to the heavy rains and that raw sewage had ended up in the water systems.

"Farmers have to take note of the possibility of the outbreak of fungi and diseases spread by the contaminated water on farm lands," he said.

http://www.miningmx.com/news/markets/Floods-worsen-acid-water-crisis.htm

Professional inventor Chris Morton tells Mining Weekly that his solution to the AMD crisis is easier to implement than most other proposals. Morton says that his chemo- electro-deposition (CED) mining method is a collection of technologies and engineering and scientific methodologies able to recover metals, detoxify water, generate electricity and produce hydrogen from toxic mine water.

...

Meanwhile, Turton says that, while the concept has potential as a technical solution, the actual problem is “that there is no space on the playing field for new ideas, given that two significant players, government and the mining industry, are defining the game”.

http://www.miningweekly.com/article...eded-to-acid-mine-drainage-problem-2011-01-12