Abstract
The Sabodala gold mine is located in the Kedegou region in eastern Senegal near the border with Mali in a tropical Savannah climate zone with distinct wet and dry seasons. The mine has been operating since 2009 with active tailings deposition giving an ideal opportunity to study the weathering characteristics of carbonate rich tailings materials under real world conditions. The mine is operated in accordance with international best practice with regular monitoring of water quality and tailings chemistry in accordance with the international cyanide management code (ICMC) and also in order to monitor and control any potential impacts from Acid Rock Drainage and Metal Leaching (ARDML) that may be generated from the tailings materials and waste rock. In 2015 as part of a project looking at the potential for re-use of generated tailings as construction materials, a number of additional geochemical tests including whole rock assays, mineralogy, Acid Base Accounting in accordance with modified Sobek method with siderite correction, together with paste pH and electrical conductivity (Ec) measurements were undertaken. The purpose of the study was to update the predictions of the potential for ARDML generation and drainage pH in leachates forming from the Sabodala tailings. The tests were run on one composite weathered and 3 selective fresh samples collected by auger drilling on three holes over the tailing. Results have enabled a better understanding of the chemical weathering characteristics of finely ground tailings materials under tropical weathering conditions and the nature of secondary minerals precipitated.
Highlights
The Sabodala gold mine in the Kedegou region of eastern Senegal is operated by Sabodala Gold Operations (SGO), a subsidiary of Teranga Gold Corporation
The mine is operated in accordance with international best practice with regular monitoring of water quality and tailings chemistry in accordance with the international cyanide management code (ICMC) and in order to monitor and control any potential impacts from Acid Rock Drainage and Metal Leaching (ARDML) that may be generated from the tailings materials and waste rock
The differences in the mineralogy between the oxidised and the fresh tailings are most likely mainly related to weathering of the oxidised tailings that led consecutively to oxidation of sulphides, generation of acids, dissolution of carbonate resulting in neutralisation of acids and alteration of part of feldspars into kaolinite
Summary
The Sabodala gold mine in the Kedegou region of eastern Senegal is operated by Sabodala Gold Operations (SGO), a subsidiary of Teranga Gold Corporation. A critical aspect of the monitoring of the tailings is the prediction of the future pH of their drainage in order to assess possibilities of occurrence of Acid Rock Drainage and Metal Leaching (ARDML) which can be highly harmful to the environment in case where conditions for ARDML generation are favourable. In these cases, measures must be taken to manage the ARDML risk through engineered methods. This is by no means an easy task as every mine site has a unique set of interrelated geological/mineralogical/climatological and metallurgical conditions which means that every tailings facility will weather uniquely
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
