Remediation of Abandoned Mine Lands

Friday, October 3, 2008 : 11:00 a.m.

Activated Tailings, Using Mine Waste to Clean up Mine Sites

Ernest F. Stine, Ph.D., Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure and Eugene Mullenmeister, BS, Geology, Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure

Activated Tailings, is a product derived from red mud created when extracting aluminum from bauxite ore.  It is an emerging technology, which is effective in removing heavy metals, soluble cyanide, as well as iron, aluminum, manganese and silicate from water.  It does not remove most Group IA (e.g., Na, K…) and IIA (e.g., Mg, Ca…) cations, Group VIIA (e.g., F, Cl…) anions or sulfate.  It can be used as a pretreatment to remove metals that may foul RO membranes, post treatment to remove many metals from the RO or evaporator reject stream and for metals removal for the in-situ treatment of tailings ponds and mine pits.  It can also be used in pellet or powder form in large basins, tanks, in a conventional WWT plant or by spraying slurry into the pit or ponds.  The spent reagent, when dried is a non-hazardous solid, when tested using the TCLP, SPLP and CAL-WET procedures, which requires no special handling. 

Ernest F. Stine, Ph.D., Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Dr. Stine has over 20 years of experience in hazardous waste treatment and chemical process development. He has experience in selecting and evaluating treatment alternatives, performing the appropriate treatability testing, providing data for preliminary design activities and project equipment specifications; assisting project design teams, and implementing the final design. He has been involved in the design and implementation of treatment systems at over 100 projects; applying chemical oxidation, dewatering, stabilization, and water/wastewater treatment technologies.

Eugene Mullenmeister, BS, Geology, Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure Mr. Mullenmeister is a Geologist with over 20 years experience managing and conducting all aspects of environmental field investigations, geologic investigations, mine closure and remediation projects involving both chemical and radiological contamination and water treatment technology evaluation. His project experience spans soil remediation, transport and disposal, groundwater remediation, geophysical investigations, sub-surface soil and ground water investigations, and geologic mapping. He received the 1997 Corporate, National Quality Award for his contribution as Field Manager of the Bullion Forced Gradient Experiment for the Underground Test Area Project at the Nevada Test Site.


Remediation of Abandoned Mine Lands