Acid mine drainage and metal leaching potential of a waste rock dump

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is identified as one of the key contributors to environmental hazard in the gold mining towns. This issue is particularly related to deposits (mine waste rocks) containing sulphide minerals, which are prone to oxidation under the influence of atmospheric oxygen and water. This study therefore assesses Sansu waste rock dump's acid generating capacity and its metal leaching potential. Fifteen (15) waste rock samples were obtained from various areas of the dump and analysed using ICP-MS and ICP-AES devices, while XRD analysis was used to evaluate the mineralogy of the samples. The acid base accounting (ABA) test was used to determine the dump's potential AMD. To further establish the dump's AMD potential and determine the metal leaching potential, a column leaching test was conducted. Correlation and principal component analysis was determined. One notable finding was the oxidation-neutralisation curve, which indicated a high neutralisation capacity at the site.