Laboratory experiment on influence of mineralogical assemblage on drainage quality in mine tailing samples

Laboratory weathering study using a humidity cell procedure was conducted on sulfide containing tailings samples from four different mines within Canada. The tests lasted -60 weeks and permitted the evaluation of the progress of sulfide oxidation, and determination of the variations in drainage quality as a function of compositional variations. In addition, the experiments allowed a comparison of the efficacy of neutralizing minerals under contrasting acidification conditions. The four samples (which presented different physicochemical and mineralogical characteristics) reacted quite differently, producing effluents ranging from neutral to very acidic, and different qualities and quantities of elemental loadings. The tests allowed the acquisition of data useful in assessing the behavior of different kinds of sulfide-rich waste deposits undergoing oxidation.