CPD EVENT The presentation “Is That Acid Mine Drainage? – A Brief Introduction to Mine Water” provided an overview of mine water, acid mine drainage (AMD), problems associated with mining activities as well as the potential for valorization of mine water. Mine water is the water found in or around mining areas and affected by mining activities. 

About the event(s):

CPD EVENT The presentation “Is That Acid Mine Drainage? – A Brief Introduction to Mine Water” provided an overview of mine water, acid mine drainage (AMD), problems associated with mining activities as well as the potential for valorization of mine water. Mine water is the water found in or around mining areas and affected by mining activities. AMD is just one type of mine water characterized by pH values below 5.6. It might pose a risk, as it can produce environmental problems like (semi-metal) contamination of water courses. Examples of mine water problems in South Africa will be presented, including several sites in the Witwatersrand Basin. To understand the situation and problems associated with mine water, it is important to analyse the geochemical and hydrodynamic situation, for instance by conducting water testing. These tests can provide valuable information about the pH value, temperature and electrical conductivity of the water as well as the main ions and trace elements. In-situ remediation and active or passive mine water treatment are common strategies used to address contaminated mine water and will be briefly introduced in the presentation. Monitoring and aftercare as critical aspects of mine water management will also be discussed. The presenters discussed their own research, which includes depth profile measurements, tracer tests, hydrochemical modelling as well as analogue modelling. Finally, the presentation highlights the potential for mine water valorization, where the water is treated and reused for various purposes such as drinking water or geothermal exploitation. South Africa’s potential for the valorization of mine water will be demonstrated by several examples.

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Discussion Session q&a

Thank you to the participants that submitted the following Questions - some answered during the live sessions. 
A follow-up session on AMD201 might be needed, indeed!

• Is mining-influenced water identical to acid mine drainage?

• How are other countries dealing with the bioproducts from RO process?

• How are preferential flow paths factored into the analog model?

• Do you think there are opportunities to use remote sensing and/or GIS to address challenges related to AMD?

• How is the future prospect and success rate for industrial acid mine drainage in Europe?

• Are there any new cost-effective technological developments for treating AMD water?

• Would like to know about AMD and how it contributes to surface and groundwater quality as I work as a water quality catchment officer in the Gauteng operations office and assessment of mine license compliance

• How can society together with government tackle the issue of abandoned mines?

• Is there a difference between Acid Mine Drainage and Acid Rock Drainage?

• Effective in-situ methods of dealing with the AMD/ARD scenarios

• What are the health hazard that can be caused by mine acid?

• Can we have examples on real south African cases that have actual AMD NOT circum neutral mine water

• What is New?

• How to ensure compliance with the water use license?

• Currently working on a research project related to AMD and would like to get more information on the subject from experts and specialists in the field.

• What are some of the measures that can be widely used to mitigate AMD within the water governance sector?

• I would like to attend this session as part of my job is to assess Water Use Licenses  and provide comments on groundwater studies submitted

• "What could be a long term feasible solution to AMD?

• More presentations around planned operation/management of AMD in Gauteng!

• Do you think AMD will end or be mitigated to a point it’s not a problem  in the near future

• I am a compliance Monitoring official who come into Acid Mine Drainage decanting mines and will like to know what is the way forward in addressing this as its becoming a norm in the Mpumalanga coal mines?

• What treatment types there is for molibdenum removal?

• "What  are we doing about cumulative urban use of groundwater

• Le drainage minier est un sujet qui me fascine beaucoup et qui constitue mon sujet de fin d'etude master auquel je traville actuellemnt dessus. J'aimerais adhérer à ce webinaire pour pouvoir beneficier des votre expertise sur le drainage minier.

• How can we improve the costs of treating acid mine drainage to acceptable standards? Do we have universal discharge standards across all acid mine drainage effluents or it site specific?

• Is treated AMD drinkable water?

• "Is there a practical way to permanently prevent AMD?

• What are some of the methods of remediation used for catchments that have been affected by acid mine drainage?

• Will we ever win this battle of AMD ?

• Joining to learn more about AMD and how to treat/manage it.

• The effects of the tailing facilities on the water recourse

• I am currently involved in monitoring old mines located in the KwaZulu Natal province. Are there recent developments/changes in terms of the legislation that hold active and inactive mining companies responsible for AMD?"

• Will it be possible to neutralise the AMD effluent without increasing salinity?"

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Event Resources

Web site: www.wolkersdorfer.info/publications

- Contact detail for presenters

Elke Mugova email: [email protected] 
Prof Dr habil Christian Wolkersdorfer, TUT: [email protected]

Please inform also your co-workers and friends of this opportunity here in South Africa. By the way – reserve your dates for the IMWA 2023 conference in July 2023, with more information on our web page www.IMWA2023.info

ALSO FEEL FREE TO EXPLORE THE Event debrief: Dr Sakala Talk on Natural Attenuation of AMD - Case Study (GWD Gauteng) in 2021.
https://gwd.org.za/news-articles/event-debrief-talk-natural-attenuation-amd-case-study-gwd-gauteng

- Recordings of presentations

GWD YouTube:

On-demand 1: 19 April 2023	On-demand 2: 03 May 2023

                                                               

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Event Statistics

Some interesting statistics.