Abstract
Mining wastes are a great source of pollutants. Open-pit backfill materials can be found as waste rock and as tailings. The aim of the current study was the investigation of the contaminant transportation pathways by groundwater flow from these waste materials through heterogeneous porous media. Numerical Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) was used for examining the effects of different factors on pollutant transportation through groundwater beneath the waste materials. Grain size, vertical and horizontal fracturing, and hydraulic pressure gradient were factors considered here. The results showed that contaminant transportation by the groundwater flow from the waste materials through porous media depends on primary and secondary matrix porosity of the open-pit material, heterogeneity in permeability of aquifer rock, and hydraulic head of groundwater.
Highlights
In mining operations, large quantities of waste materials are backfilled into abandoned pits
Case 2: Vertical fractures in aquifer rock material and open pit filled with waste rock (WVF) and tailings (TVF)
Case 3: Horizontal and vertical fractures in aquifer rock material and open pit filled with waste rock (WHVF), and tailings (THVF)
Summary
Large quantities of waste materials are backfilled into abandoned pits. Mine wastes or tailings contain reactive sulphide minerals that can be oxidized and cause metal leaching and acid mine generation These fluids can migrate and contaminate aquifers (Sedighi and Mohammadi, 2018) and the safe disposal of these materials is vital (Aubertin et al, 2002; European Commission, 2009). Environmental conditions are not constant, and years after a mine is abandoned, the groundwater level may rise, and low permeable rocks may be fractured In these conditions, generated acids and metal leaching fluids contaminate groundwater aquifers and remedial methods become necessary (Therrien and Sudicky, 1996; Molson et al, 2012; Maghsoudy et al, 2019; Shahhosseini et al, 2020)
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