An investigation of Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) occurrence in a gold mine located in a Southeastern Brazil region

Abstract

This work is aimed at evaluating the potential of Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) from two Brazilian gold sulfidic ore samples, by means of using three of the most traditional ARD prediction techniques: Standard Acid Base Accounting and Modified Acid Base Accounting, as static methods, and humidity cells, as a kinetic method. Samples were submitted to chemical and mineralogical characterization that indicated the presence of traces of sulfide minerals, such as pyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite and of carbonates, calcite and dolomite. While the Standard ABA results were inconclusive, the Modified ABA NNP results and NP/AP ratio suggested a tendency of TP01 and WP01 being acid generators, this tendency being slightly stronger for sample WP01. So, a kinetic test was conducted to elucidate the results. The humidity cells results for samples TP01 and WP01 indicated the probable sulfide oxidation to produce acid, subsequently neutralized by alkalinity generated by the carbonates. Based on the results, one can conclude that although sample WP01 has a slightly higher ARD generation potential than TP01, these samples can be at different stages of ARD process, or better, TP01 is at a more advanced stage of ARD production than WP01. The determinant role of the kinetic tests is highlighted by the results.