Pdf the impact of acid mine drainage in south africa. However the mining activities left behind numerous toxic footprints such as acid mine drainage amd. Acid mine drainage effects, types, plants, marine, oxygen. The key factor of acid mine drainage amd in the history. South africa is facing the increasing challenge of acid mine drainage amd whose genesis is the country.
It is also called sulphine acid, battery acid, and hydrogen sulfate. This acid leaches out metals in the rock, which can enter nearby. Acid mine drainage in johannesburg greenpeace africa. Acid mine drainage and its governance 10 in the gauteng cityregion o c c a s i o n a l p a p e r. Left unchecked, it can result in such longterm water quality impacts that it could well be this industrys most harmful legacy. Acid mine drainage prediction compares acid rock drainage factors of waste rock piles and tailings impoundments. Acid mine drainage amd is a problem occurring across the globe, including in southeastern ohio. Acid mine drainage acid drainage occurs when minerals containing reduced forms of sulfur s oxidize via exposure to oxygen and water during earth disturbances figure 1. The acid mine drainage solution bandwagon the mail. South africas acid mine water pollution risks lives. The impact of acid mine drainage in south africa article pdf available in south african journal of science 10756. Mariette is the ceo of the federation for a sustainable environment and was a member of the sahrc section 05 committee on human rights and acid mine drainage. Greenpeace africa is deeply concerned by both the extent of the problems of acid mine drainage in the johannesburg region, and by the lack of action by the authorities and mining companies. Sulphuric acid dissolves in water and air, and can remain suspended in air for varying periods of time.
South africa to become a leading economic bloc on the continent. Thanks to the international veolia group, veolia water technologies south africa is able to supply a costcompetitive acid mine drainage treatment system that can reduce the impact of mining on the environment. The video presents the main findings of the opportunities in acid mine drainage in south africa. The term mineimpacted water is used because it is more inclusive than terms such as acid mine drainage. Effective treatment options for acid mine drainage in the. Residents left in dark over acid mine drainage treatment. David fig the goldbearing areas of south africa are concentrated along the ridge of white waters, the witwatersrand. Using fes 2 as an example, amd for mation can be represented as follows. The formation of acid mine drainage and the contaminants associated with it have been described as the largest environmental problem facing the u. Finnish specialist in hydrometallurgical treatment technology global ecoprocess services oy epse launched a treatment for acid mine drainage amd in.
Government and mining companies need to take responsibility now, taking extensive measures to prevent any further damage and to safeguard the local population. The south african government and nongovernmental organizations response to amd is assessed, as well the socioeconomic and developmental effects of amd. Acid mine drainage, acid and metalliferous drainage amd, or acid rock drainage ard is the outflow of acidic water from metal mines or coal mines acid rock drainage occurs naturally within some environments as part of the rock weathering process but is exacerbated by largescale earth disturbances characteristic of mining and other large construction activities. Department of water and sanitation annual report 20172018. Dbsa development bank of south africa dea department of environmental affairs. Acid mine drainage consulting engineers south africa. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution to a serious issue 7. Acid mine drainage arising from gold mining activity in johannesburg, south africa, and environs. Acidic water is not the only issue caused by acid mine drainage. This springerbrief focuses on acid mine drainage amd in the three basins in the witwatersrand, south africa. It provides a background to amd and its impactsfrom a social science perspective. Pdf management and mitigation of acid mine drainage in. Treated water running into a lake at a acid mine drainage plant near krugersdorp. The impact of acid mine drainage in south africa south.
Management and mitigation of acid mine drainage in south. South africa is a nation under stress when trying to meet water requirements. Uranium pollution of south african streams an overview of the situation in gold mining areas of the witwatersrand. Acid mine drainage is recognized as one of the more serious environmental problems in the mining industry. On top of this, its water systems are severely harmed by different forms of pollution, including acid mine drainage amd naidoo, 2016. Department of water and sanitation 11 over the years, south africa has built many dams which have served a number of purposes supplying water for domestic and industrial use, for irrigation purposes, to managecontrol floods and to meet energy needs hydropower. Acid mine drainage amd is arguably one of the most serious environmental concerns in south africa.
Acid mine drainage is not a new issue, merely one that has been conveniently silenced by the mining houses and south african government for decades. South africa is a developing country that faces water scarcity issues. After following the headlines regarding the acid mine drainage in our country, which drew media from all over the world including the cnn, sky news, reuters, and the bbc, i was convinced that what they were saying was news, same as our high level of unemployment and our high level of rape and violence crime, the. Acid mine drainage in south africa development actors. Acid mine drainage overview acid rock drainage ard is produced by the oxidation of sulfide minerals, chiefly iron pyrite or iron disulfide fes2. The regulation of acid mine drainage in south africa. Assessing the sustainability of acid mine drainage amd. The gold mining industry in south africa principally the witwatersrand goldfield is in decline, but the postclosure decant of amd is an enormous threat, and this could become worse if remedial activities are delayed or not implemented. Acid mine drainage an overview sciencedirect topics.
Water and sanitation, dbsa amd and its adverse impacts put simply, acid mine drainage amd is acidic water that forms when water reacts with minerals voided by mining, which are then exposed to air. The effect of mining on the environment includes the release of many chemical contaminants into water resources, which can cause environmental damage and threaten the health and safety of nearby communities long after mine closure. Acid mine drainage is a condition where, as the name suggests, the water is made acidic. To understand the social effects of amd social impact assessment processes offer a plausible solution. Pdf impacts of mining on water resources in south africa. Amd is a legacy left behind by abandoned, derelict and defunct mines, and is a continuing byproduct of existing mining activities. In coalmining areas, the most common of these minerals is iron pyrite fes 2. Acid mine drainage amd is the flow, or seepage, of polluted water from old mining areas. This lesson covers the basic chemistry behind amd and the remediation processes, as well as how. Amd is caused when water flows over or through sulfurbearing materials forming solutions of net acidity. Acid mine drainage prevention and control options nural kuyucak golder associates ltd. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution. Amd comes mainly from abandoned coal mines and currently active mining.
Acid rock drainage and acid mine drainage acid rock drainage ard is a natural process in which sulfuric acid is produced when sulfides in rocksfor example, pyrite fes 2 are exposed to air and water. The current interest was prompted mainly by concern arising from the decanting of contaminated water from the old gold mines in the krugersdorp area into the cradle of humankind. This is a natural chemical reaction which can proceed. According to a report december 2010 commissioned by the interministerial committee on acid mine drainage the mining companies and government have until june 2012 to control acid mine drainage before the toxic water under central johannesburg begins to flood the tourist mine in gold reef city, with estimates of the water reaching the surface. What is acid mine drainage amd, why is it such a serious threat to south africa and more importantly why has been it been silenced and kept under wraps by the mining industry and south african government for so long. Mathematical modelling in acid mine drainage geoffrey s simate abstract for over 50 years, acid mine drainage amd pollution has been recognised as an important and widespread societal problem. Keywords acid mine drainage amd, mining industry, south africa, the united states, historical analysis, socioeconomic conditions. Past experiences of the impact of acid mine drainage on water quality in south africa gold mining gold tailings dumps have been a feature of the landscape around the large gold mining towns since mining began, and as described above, have been discharging polluted water for decades. Actually, it has been described as the single most dangerous threat to south africas environment, after climate change. Acid mine drainage amd has received considerable coverage in the media of late and the number of short courses and workshops devoted to the topic has mushroomed.
Acid mine drainage issues in south africa godfrey mwiinga pr. The new administration of south africa has known about it since they came into power and the ex apartheid government knew about this for decades too but amd is an issue for which there is no quick fix, not to mention the costs involved in remediation of this problem. O c c a s i o n a l p a p e r researched and written for the gcro by kerry bobbins may 2015. In response to the millions of litres of acid mine drainage already flooding or threatening to flood south africas streams, rivers, cities, and towns, a variety of solutions have been proposed. Final words acid mine drainage issues in south africa. South africas gauteng province holds some of the biggest gold deposits on earth, and extraction processes has left drains of acid mine drainage amd which results from the outflow of acidic. Acid mine drainage in south africa has become a major concern for the countrys water infrastructure over recent years. The south african human rights commission acknowledges mariette liefferink and eugene viljoen for providing the photographs that appear in this booklet. Although acid mine drainage is the most common impact of mining on water quality, the variety of mineral geology is such that there is no singlecharacteristic mine water. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution to a serious issue 3. Acid mine drainage amd is currently the main pollutant of surface water in the midatlantic region. Sulphuric acid is a clear, colorless, oily liquid that is very corrosive. This occurs along outcrops or scree slopes where sulfidebearing rock is.
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