Modeling the Process of Thawing of Tailings Dam Base Soils by Technological Waters

Nataliya Yurkevich,Svetlana Bortnikova,Irina Fadeeva,Elizaveta Shevko,Alexey Yannikov

doi:10.3390/app112311089

Nataliya Yurkevich, Svetlana Bortnikova + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311089

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Abstract

The storage of wastes from mining and mineral processing plants in the tailing dumps in regions with cold climates has a number of environmental consequences. Interactions of water with tailings in cold climates often lead to the thawing of permafrost soils, formation of technogenic thawing zones, and leakage of drainage waters. In the case of fault zones development in these areas, technogenic solutions are often filtered outside the tailing dump, promoting further development of filtration channels. In order to prevent leakage of solution from tailing dumps over time, it is necessary to determine the thawing zones and prevent the formation of filtration channels. In the case of the formation of a filtration channel, it is necessary to know what rate of rock thawing occurred near the formed filtration channel. In this study, for the tailing dump of a diamond mining factory, we calculated two exothermic effects: (1) due to physical heating of dump rock by filtering industrial water with temperatures from 2 to 15 °C through the rock; and (2) due to the chemical interaction of industrial water with the dam base rock. The amount of energy transferred by the water to the frozen and thawed rock over 10 years was calculated using thermophysical modeling and was 207.8 GJ and 8.39 GJ respectively. The amount of energy that the rock received during the ten-year period due to dissolution of the limestones and equilibration of solutions was calculated using thermodynamic modeling and was 0.37 GJ, which is 4.4% of the average amount of energy, expended on heating the thawed rock (8.39 GJ).

Highlights

The study of the consequences of the exploitation of mineral deposits in permafrost conditions is especially important for countries with large polar and highly mountainous regions
Mine reclamation is a major challenge for mining companies, especially when mine tailings can lead to the formation of acidic drainage solutions
Tailing dumps from mining and mineral processing enterprises have a number of environmental consequences

Summary

Introduction

The study of the consequences of the exploitation of mineral deposits in permafrost conditions is especially important for countries with large polar and highly mountainous regions. Traditional methods of mine reclamation are challenging to apply to areas located in the arctic conditions due to their remoteness, severe climatic conditions, the degradation of permafrost, and the effects of climate change. It is, necessary to design and develop new approaches for effective mine reclamation in Arctic climate conditions. Necessary to design and develop new approaches for effective mine reclamation in Arctic climate conditions Such approaches are of particular importance, as mining operations should be optimized so that their profitability is maintained in changing market conditions and to meet increasing societal and environmental demands. Study [8] presents an overview of the interplay between mining and the surrounding socio-ecological systems in the Arctic region and investigated the mining activities from four perspectives, examining (1) environmental, (2) economic, (3) social, and (4) legal dimensions, covering three lifecycle stages: (1) pre-mining, (2) mining, and (3) post-mining

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