Mining Related Environmental Issues

Through the whole cycle of a mining project, from the exploration and feasibility studies, permitting, active mining, to remediation, reclamation and closure of a mining site, there is a wide spectrum of environmental issues in which geochemical modeling can play a 

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The examination commences with the environmental issues associated with (1) coal mining (which, by inference includes coal in the seams), (2) coal preparation, (3) coal transportation and storage, and (4) followed by the emission-related environmental issues from commercial use of coal. 

Arsenic in aquatic environments is usually more concentrated in sediments and pore water than in the overlying water column (Ahmann et al., 1997 Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002 Williams, 2001). The most abundant forms of arsenic are arsenate [As(V)] and arsenite [As(III)], but methylated forms can occur in mine-impacted environments (i.e., methylarsenic acid and dimethylarsenic acid) (Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002) see Chapter 9.02. The principal pathway of arsenic toxicity is through dietary exposure to sediment and suspended particulates by fish, followed by human consumption. Environmental exposure to arsenic is a causal factor in human carcinogenous and other related health issues. Chronic exposure symptoms in humans include hyperkeratosis, hyperpigmentation, skin malignancies, and peripheral arteriosclerosis. Water provides the dominant pathway for arsenic exposure in humans (Williams, 2001). 

The wide spectrum of self-assembly phenomena can be categorized in various ways. In this entry, we discuss the similarities and the differences between two- and three-dimensional systems. The last section of this entry describes recent and possible future applications of self-assembly processes, mainly related to advanced materials, environmental issues, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. Emulsions, microemulsions, and foams are examples of important and common applications in which self-assembly plays a key role. These have a wide variety of industry applications from cosmetics, foods, detergents, oil recovery, drug formulation/delivery, petroleum refining, and mining. As these are the subjects of other topics in this encyclopedia, they are not covered here. 

However, because of the general nature of surface mining operations, and not to fail to recognize the nature of the underground operations, the environmental issues related to coal recovery by surface mining operations often pose additional problans, recognizing of course that site preparation can, in both underground and surface operations, raise similar issues in relation to environmental disturbance and restoration. 

Mineral ore must be crushed and concentrated. The percentage of metal elements in the ore is very small, as shown in Table 8, and most often the metals are recovered as a mixture. To concentrate, grind, and further process the ore to recover the individual metals, it is necessary to use large volumes of water and electrical energy. The environmental issues are related to the stability of the tailing piles and the chemical pollution remaining in closed or abandoned mines. 

National Library for the Environment Congressional Research Service Reports http //ncseon-line.org/nle/crs/ (accessed July 11, 2010). Index and full text site for reports on environmental or resource issues prepared for the U.S. Congress. A subject search on the term Mining leads searchers to a full text collection of informational research reports about issues relating to legislative acts and natural conservation regulations for members of the House and Senate. 

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