A sustainable approach towards management of mining waste for land management

Mining waste occupy vast areas on land and can cause contaminant transfer through air, soil and water. As for air pollution the main contamination is because of dust transfer. As for water contamination there are problems... [ view full abstract ]

Mining waste occupy vast areas on land and can cause contaminant transfer through air, soil and water. As for air pollution the main contamination is because of dust transfer. As for water contamination there are problems connected to leaching of pollutants into groundwater, acid mine drainage which cause rivers contamination, ocean pollution etc. As for soil contamination, mining waste may enhance pollutants in the nearby areas and cause alteration of chemical, physical and biological behaviors of soil.
The successful mitigation process of environmental and economic impacts connected to mining waste production can be done through integrated approach which includes:
A) Characterization of area: Definition and geological characteristics, hydrogeological characteristics, type of land use and transfer of potential pollutants.
B) Characterization of waste: Determining the volume of waste and the type of pollutants in the mining waste. Application of soil characterization techniques to determine heavy metal contents in soil.
C) Determination of current and potential impacts of mining waste: on surrounding soil and water streams and underground water by sampling and analysis of pollutants and applying risk assessment methods.
D) Assessment of the possibility of reuse: Mining waste with high utilizable metal contents can be used for recovery of minerals while the inert waste can be used as fillers and aggregates.
E) Assessment of the need of action: The possibility of stabilizing or cleaning of mining waste from the dump.
To determine the success of mitigation methods used, post operation monitoring of site must be done.