Alternatives for mitigation of acid mine drainage in a coal mine

The impact of mining on the quality of surface and ground water is a hotly debated issue of great interest worldwide. The most significant among the several problems that can affect the quality of these waters, is the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD). Unmanaged it can render the use of impacted waters totally unsuitable for recreational, agricultural or drinking purposes, and also seriously damage the ecosystem in the receiving environment. The Brazilian mining industry is striving to adopt sustainable environmental practices. As part of a contribution to these efforts CETEM and CANMET have put forward a joint project on mine rehabilitation CRM, a coal mining company, is one of the partners actively involved in the Project through its Candiota coal mine located in southern Brazil. The initiative includes a systematic survey of existing local environmental data, supported by laboratory and fieldwork to identify and evaluate different suitable rehabilitation technologies. The project began in January 1999 and will extend over a period of three years. This paper reports the Project's main achievements during its first year and describes the approach adopted by the partners - CETEM/CANMET/CRM - in dealing with acid mine drainage taken as one of the issues within an integrated mine rehabilitation concept.