TY - JOUR
TI - Supergene alteration, environmental impact and laboratory scale acid water treatment of cyprus-type ore deposits: Case study of mathiatis and sha abandoned mines
AU - Galanopoulos, E.
AU - Skarpelis, N.
AU - Argyraki, A.
JO - Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
PY - 2018
VL - 19
TODO - 4
SP - 299-315
PB - Geological Society of London
SN - 1467-7873
TODO - 10.1144/geochem2018-070
TODO - Clay alteration;  Deposits;  Drainage;  Drying;  Efflorescence;  Environmental impact;  Heavy metals;  Lakes;  Laws and legislation;  Lime;  Open pit mining;  Ore treatment;  Pyrites;  Sulfur compounds;  Surface chemistry;  Trace elements;  Water quality;  Water treatment, Acid waters;  Environmental concerns;  Environmental threats;  International database;  Pit lakes;  Preliminary assessment;  Sulphate concentrations;  Supergene alterations, Abandoned mines, abandoned mine;  acid water;  concentration (composition);  environmental impact;  mine waste;  mineral alteration;  ore deposit;  remediation;  supergene process;  water treatment
TODO - Waste-rock dumps and the water quality of pit-lakes formed at abandoned mines of pyrite-rich ore deposits are of considerable environmental concern around the world. The Mathiatis and Sha mines provide typical examples of abandoned mines where Cyprus-type Cu-pyrite ore was exploited. Supergene alteration of the sulphide ore and the mine waste leads to the formation of efflorescence and generation of acid mine drainage filling the pit-lakes. Sulphate concentrations range from 4600 to 4850 mg/l and from 35 900 to 38 500 mg/l for the Mathiatis and Sha mines, respectively. Concentrations of heavy metals exceed the established regulatory limits in water. A preliminary assessment of the mine waste at the Mathiatis mine indicated that it cannot be characterized as inert material according to current European legislation, posing an environmental threat as a source of acid mine drainage (AMD). The identified Mg, Ca and Fe(II)-Fe(III) efflorescence mineral phases retain temporarily trace metals near the mine waste and the open pit-lake shore. Neutralization experiments on the acidic waters of the epilimnion indicated local limestone is not sufficient for full remediation. However, it could be used as a low-cost pretreatment method for AMD. The study expands the international database of AMD affected areas and provides the basis for future remediation efforts. © 2019 The Author(s).
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