Abstract
ABSTRACT The flow of water in mining waste may cause serious environmental impacts associated with acid-rock drainage. In relatively dry climates, dry soil covers have been considered as feasible alternatives to minimise such effects. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the influence of the hydrological cycle and soil type on the performance of dry cover systems, considering the tropical conditions found in Brazil’s central-west region. Numerical analyzes of four different cover systems composed of tropical soils were performed using the Finite Element Method. Among the proposed arrangements, three use a soil that presents a bimodal soil-water characteristic curve and the fourth system employs a unimodal soil. The thicknesses of intermediate materials were varied and different representative precipitation parameters were considered for a period of one year. The results obtained were compared in terms of the internal flow and the capacity of the cover to store water. The results indicate that bimodal soils may not be ideal materials and require specific compaction conditions to reduce the volume of macropores. Unimodal tropical soils presented adequate response as store-and-release materials. The use of an intermediate layer acting as a capillary barrier did not offer significant improvement to the cover systems evaluated.
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