Berkeley Pit

At the Berkeley Pit Superfund site in Butte, Montana, Humasorb was tested for removing heavy metals from groundwater. Based on pilot-scale studies, it was determined that total cleanup costs at the site using Humasorb would be 51 million. These costs included the expenses associated with pumping groundwater from the pit for treatment (D19033K, pp. 1, 2). 

Elimination of metal ions is a second major function of supported chelators. And a variety of conditions may be envisioned. Electroplating firms can be faced with the need to remove metal ions from solutions as part of an EPA-approved disposal protocol. A radiator shop may be faced with a need to remove waste zinc ion before allowing water to go into a sewer, in an effort to minimize the danger of killing bacteria used in sewage treatment procedures. The Berkeley Pit (vide infra) represents an outstanding example of the need to remove waste copper. 

Anon. Berkeley Pit http //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley Pit (accessed 18 June 2012). 

Jonas, J.P. and Gammons, C.H. (2000) Iron cycling in the Berkeley Pit-lake, Butte, Montana. Abstracts with Programs. The Geological Society of America, 32(5), 13. 

Montana Berkeley Pit Mine Ore deposits and mining wastes Abdo (1994)... 

Abdo, G.N. (1994) Baseline ground-water monitoring for documenting impact of abandoned mine flooding, Berkeley Pit, Butte, Montana. Abstracts with Programs-Geological Society of America, 26(7), 412-13. 

MRT operates from a different base from traditional techniques. In general, traditional techniques are not based on specific host-guest recognition as is MRT. The specificity of MRT allows separations to be accomplished in the presence of high concentrations of matrix species, acid, and base. Also, particular species can be separated in the presence of other species having similar chemistry. The capability of MRT is now illustrated with recent studies of a Superfund Site (Berkeley Pit) [26] and wastewaters from a Navy operation. 

Table 3 MRT separation system results for Berkeley Pit solutions...

Constituent EPA drinking water standard Berkeley Pit, Butte, MT10/16/87 Robinson District Yerington Pit Yerington, NV1991 Getchell Mine Cortez Pit, Cortez, NV 1992-1993... 

Davis A. and Ashenberg D. (1989) The aqueous geochemistry of the Berkeley Pit, Butte, Montana, USA. Appl. Geochem. 4, 23-36. 

ARD is common wherever the presence of pyrite is greatest. Poor rock piles of coal mines and metal mines are notorious sites for acid generation. The Bunker Hill mine of northern Idaho, the Berkeley Pit of Montana, and the Leviathan Mine of eastern California, are all notorious ARD sites that have pyrite in the deposits that have become exposed to the atmosphere in rock piles or the mines workings itself. 

Figure 8.8. Location and depth contours of the Berkeley Pit Lake.

According to Davis and Ashenberg (1989), the results of the simulations provide some useful information for the evaluation of the feasibility of using alkaline tailings fluid to neutralize Berkeley Pit water as a remedial action. The authors calculated that it needs three volumes of alkaline fluids to neutralize the pit lake water to pH of 5.0 with the Case 3 scenario. That would result in a water level 20 m above the contact between the alluvial aquifer and the subjacent bedrock, assuming all inflows into the pit except alluvial and bedrock groundwater contributions can be controlled. The authors concluded that this remedial alternative is a tractable solution to the acid mine drainage problems at the Berkeley Pit. 

Figure 8.9. / I I of the Berkeley Pit lake as a result of the mixing with an alkaline tailings fluid.

BIOPROSPECTING IN THE BERKELEY PIT BIOACTIVE METABOLITES FROM ACID MINE WASTE EXTREMOPHILES... 

This is no ordinary lake, however, and its microbial inhabitants reflect the unique nature of the lake. Berkeley Pit Lake is located in Butte, Montana, called the richest hill on earth because of the high quality ore bodies that concentrated in this area. While scientists and engineers attempted to remediate the Pit Lake, we initiated a different type of mining venture— mining for microbes. Over the last eight years, we have isolated and studied over 60 fungi and bacteria from the surface waters down to the lake bottom sediments at 720 feet. Last year we were able to access deep Pit Lake sediments as well and have isolated several new microbes not found in the water column. 

To isolate and identify culturable microorganisms from Berkeley Pit lake water and sediment samples. 

Berkeley Pit Lake is our extreme environment. We are confining our studies to microbial life in the Pit for the simple reason that microbes are the predominant, and perhaps sole inhabitants of this toxic lake. Unlike most rivers and lakes in Montana, Berkeley Pit Lake does not harbor trout, grayling or other blue ribbon fish species. Aside from a single water bug photographed resting on the surface of the Pit Lake, and a flock of snow geese that landed on the water and subsequently died, no evidence of macrobial life exists. 

The Berkeley Pit evolved from an open-pit copper mine to an acid mine waste lake in less than twenty years. There are actually many acid lakes worldwide. Some are volcanic crater lakes and include Lake Tiwo Nua Muri Koohi Fah in Flores, Indonesia Crater Lake in Ruahepu. New Zealand Yugama Lake in Japan and Laguna Caliente in Costa Rica. Acid mine pit lakes like the Berkeley Pit Lake and the Phelps Dodge Tyrone Mine in New Mexico owe their existence to anthropogenic activities. 

Scientists at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology have conducted much of the characterization of the Berkeley Pit. According to their studies, the shallow water of the Pit Lake - the epilimnion - is separated from the deep water - the hypolimnion — by a chemocline, a zone of rapid chemical and physical change. In Berkeley Pit Lake, the chemocline is between 35 to 50 feet below the lake surface. The epilimnion is characterized by a pH of 2.5 and a temperature of 0°C in winter (ice forms on the surface) to 25°C in summer. Dissolved-metal concentrations in the epilimnion include Cu, 140 mg/L and Zn, 540 mg/L. The hypolimnion is characterized by a pH of 2.5 and an annual temperature of 4.5 °C. Dissolved-metal concentrations in the hypolimnion include Cu, 190 mg/L and Zn, 620 mg/L. Iron(II) Iron(III) ratio in the hypolimnion is 2.5 and in the epilimnion 0.36 [47]. 

The discovery of a relatively rich microbial flora in the rising waters of the Berkeley Pit has provided a new arena for chemical investigation. Until now, the primary concern has been effective remediation of this enormous Superfund site. Ground and surface waters that percolate through Berkeley Pit Lake ultimately enter the... 

Clark Fork River, an important tributary of the Columbia River. Acid mine drainage seriously degrades water quality and threatens the existence of animal and plant populations. The average pH is 2.5, an acidity level toxic to most life forms, both macrobial and microbial. Many cations reach levels well above drinking water standards set by the EPA. A sample of Berkeley Pit lake water analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) has high levels of Fe+2/Fe+3, Al+, Cu+2, and many other cations. It is also very rich in sulfates, the predominant anionic species present (8500 ppm). Some typical cation levels in Pit water (24) and EPA drinking water standards for these same cations are shown below in Table 1 [48],... 

Table 1. Metal cation levels in Berkeley Pit Lake compared to drinking water standards...

Endophytic microorganisms are not the only neglected population for natural products investigations. Extreme environments have been all but overlooked in drug discovery ventures. Yet clearly these unique environments support unique microbial life. Our attempts to isolate microorganisms from different depths of Berkeley Pit Lake have yielded over sixty culturable, aerobic fungi and bacteria. Microbial secondary metabolites are particularly desirable for the following reasons ... 

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