An analytical assessment on the impact of covers on the onset of air convection in mine wastes

Abstract

AbstractIf a mine waste pile is left open, an active chemical reaction of oxidation is often found due to the commonly high content of pyritic materials. The oxidation of pyrites is an exothermic process and the released heat will promote the flow of fresh oxygen from the surrounding atmosphere into the waste dump. As a result, oxidation reaction will accelerate and temperature within the dump can increase to as high as 60°C above the ambient temperature. The oxidation process also releases sulphuric acid and hydrogen ions into ground water to cause water contamination. Low‐permeability covers such as clay liners have been recently proposed to abate the oxidation process in mine wastes. The effectiveness of using low‐permeability materials to cover mine wastes in order to suppress the pyrite oxidation is examined. By conducting the theoretical analysis of the onset of convective air flow within waste rocks, the conditions under which soil gas flow is significant are identified. By comparing the results with previous field measurements and theoretical analysis for the uncovered conditions, it is shown that low‐permeability covers can effectively suppress soil gas flow and slow down the pyrite oxidation process in mine wastes. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.