English

Abstract

Steel slag is a highly alkaline substance that is a byproduct of the steel- making process. This substance has been used in many different applications, including the remediation of mine drainage. However, some research has shown that large concentrations of possibly toxic metals may leach from the steel slag matrix when it is used in this capacity. The National Mine Land Reclamation Center (NMLRC) has used steel slag in three Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation projects. These three projects are named the McCarty Highwall site, the DeAntonis site, and the Muzzleloader Club site. Two of the three projects used steel slag in similar capacities. The DeAntonis site and the Muzzleloader Club site used steel slag in direct contact with fresh water, while the slag used at McCarty Highwall site was directly contacted by acidic water. Although project longevity between the three projects varied, leaching potential of toxic metals did not seem to be affected by the type of water the steel slag was used in. All three projects have also shown water quality improvement regardless of time since project construction. Although both the McCarty Highwall and Muzzleloader Club projects had a few elements above EPA CCC standards, it is likely that these concentrations are not significantly high enough to greatly affect water quality. Due to a general lack of TCLP metals found in effluent waters for these projects, steel slag is recommended as a viable alkaline source for the treatment of AMD.