In situ calcite formation in limestone-saturated water leaching of acid rock waste.

The result of leaching of a 75% acid rock/25% limestone column with limestone-saturated solution has shown that the pH of the effluent recovered from 2.5, after apparent loss of acid neutralizing capacity after 4 years with water leaching, to pH 7 in less than 3 years. Bulk assay results, XRD and SEM/EDS analyses of samples from the column at 384 weeks (pH 3.

Methods for estimation of long-term non-carbonate neutralisation of acid rock drainage.

In the long-term phase of an acid rock drainage (ARD) evolution profile, after any short-term neutralisation capacity provided by carbonate minerals is exhausted, the net acid release is a product of a declining acid generation rate (AGR) and a slower, long-term acid neutralisation rate mainly provided by gangue silicate minerals. At some point, the AGR and the non-carbonate acid neutralisation rate (ANRnc) will be similar. Matching of the AGR and ANRnc near 10mg H(2)SO(4)/kg/week is demonstrated in data from 10-year columns.