Acid mine drainage Flashcards
1
Q
What are the sources to acid mine drainage
A
- valuable metals found in sulphide ores
- in the mine - rocks are exposed and fractured = ^SA
- lots of fragments left in spoil heaps
- exposed to O2 + H2O > H2SO4
2
Q
What are the effects of acid mine drainage
A
- ocean acidification
- damage infrastructure
- organisms outside range of toleranc e.g coral polyps - die of too acidic
- CaCO3 structures dissolve
3
Q
What are the controls for acid mine drainage
A
- safely remove spoil heaps
- block or fill mines
- redirect and treat water - raise pH with limestone
