University of Tasmania
Browse
129634 - Forecasting Geoenvironmental Risks.pdf (2.24 MB)

Forecasting geoenvironmental risks: Integrated applications of mineralogical and chemical data

Download (2.24 MB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-24, 04:11 authored by Anita Parbhakar-Fox, Fox, N, Jackson, L, Cornelius, R
Management of solid mine wastes requires detailed material characterisation at the start of a project to minimize opportunities for the generation of acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD). Mine planning must focus on obtaining a thorough understanding of the environmental properties of the future waste rock materials. Using drill core obtained from a porphyry Cu project in Northern Europe, this study demonstrates the integrated application of mineralogical and geochemical data to enable the construction of enviro-geometallurgical models. Geoenvironmental core logging, static chemical testing, bulk-and hyperspectral mineralogical techniques, and calculated mineralogy from assay techniques were used to critically evaluate the potential for AMD formation. These techniques provide value-adding opportunities to existing datasets and provide robust cross-validation methods for each technique. A new geoenvironmental logging code and a new geoenvironmental index using hyperspectral mineralogical data (Hy-GI) were developed and embedded into the geochemistry-mineralogy-texture-geometallurgy (GMTG) approach for waste characterisation. This approach is recommended for new mining projects (i.e., early life-of-mine stages) to ensure accurate geoenvironmental forecasting, therefore facilitating the development of an effective waste management plan that minimizes geoenvironmental risks posed by the mined materials.

History

Publication title

Minerals

Volume

8

Issue

12

Article number

541

Number

541

Pagination

1-21

ISSN

2075-163X

Department/School

School of Natural Sciences

Publisher

MDPIAG

Place of publication

Switzerland

Rights statement

Copyright 2018 The Authors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Management of solid waste from mineral resource activities; Copper ore exploration