NDLI: Predicting long-term contamination potential of perched groundwater in a mine-waste heap using a random-walk method

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Gandy, Catherine J. Younger, Paul L.
Copyright Year	2007
Abstract	Mine-waste heaps are potential long-term sources of contamination for surface-water courses and groundwater systems. Application of a novel physically based particle-tracking model to a mine-waste heap in northern England, UK, has enabled predictions to be made of the lifetime of contaminants leaching, revealing a pattern of source-mineral depletion. A mine-waste heap is conceptualised by a series of one-dimensional unsaturated “columns” in which active weathering of source minerals takes place. These columns drain into a saturated zone, through which the contaminants are transported to the heap discharge. Solute transport is simulated within the model by the random-walk method while reaction kinetics are incorporated to account for the timescales of source mineral depletion. Results reveal that the mine-waste heap is likely to remain polluting for several centuries, with the governing factor in the magnitude of pollution being the transport of the reactant, oxygen, to the source-mineral surfaces.Les terrils constituent des sources potentielles de contamination à long terme pour les cours d’eau superficiels et les systèmes aquifères. Un modèle novateur de traçage d’une particule, basé sur la physique, a été appliqué à un terril situé au nord de l’Angleterre (Royaume-Uni) ; il a permis de prédire la durée de lixiviation des contaminants, mettant en évidence un phénomène d’appauvrissement de la source en minéraux. Un terril est conceptualisé comme une série de “colonnes” unidimensionnelles non saturées, au sein desquelles se produit une altération des minéraux source. Ces colonnes sont drainées par la zone saturée, à travers laquelle les contaminants sont transportés vers l’exutoire du terril. Le transport des solutés est modélisé par la méthode du cheminement aléatoire, en intégrant les cinétiques de réaction afin de prendre en compte les échelles de temps de l’appauvrissement en minéraux. Les résultats révèlent que le terril est susceptible de persister comme une source de contamination sur plusieurs siècles, le facteur prépondérant sur l’ampleur de la pollution étant le transport du réactif, en l’occurrence l’oxygène, vers la surface des minéraux source.Los montones de desechos de minería son a largo plazo fuentes potenciales de contaminación para los cursos de agua de superficie y sistemas del agua subterránea. La aplicación, a una pila de desechos de minería en el norte de Inglaterra, Reino Unido, de un nuevo modelo basado físicamente en rastreo de trayectoria de partículas, ha permitido hacer las predicciones sobre el periodo de vida de contaminantes lixiviados, revelando una tendencia de disminución de la fuente mineral. La pila de desechos de minería se conceptualizó mediante una serie de “columnas” no saturadas y unidimensionales, en las cuales tiene lugar la meteorización activa de las fuentes minerales. Estas columnas drenan hacia la zona saturada a través de la cual los contaminantes son transportados hacia la descarga de dicha pila. El transporte del Soluto es simulado dentro del modelo por el método de caminata al azar, mientras la cinética de la reacciones se incorporan para considerar las escalas de tiempo de disminución de la fuente mineral. Los resultados revelan, que es probable que la pila de desechos de minería siga contaminando durante varios siglos, siendo el transporte del reactante, oxígeno, para la fuente superficial de minerales, un factor principal en la magnitud de la contaminación.
Starting Page	447
Ending Page	459
Page Count	13
File Format	PDF
ISSN	14312174
Journal	Hydrogeology Journal
Volume Number	16
Issue Number	3
e-ISSN	14350157
Language	English
Publisher	Springer-Verlag
Publisher Date	2008-01-09
Publisher Institution	International Association of Hydrogeologists
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Contamination Groundwater flow Hydrochemistry Numerical modelling Solute transport Waste Water Technology Water Pollution Control Water Management Aquatic Pollution Geology Hydrogeology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Earth and Planetary Sciences Water Science and Technology

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