Public Lecture Toshifumi Igarashi

Acid mine drainage (AMD) from tailings dams is a serious problem in many closed mines. In this study, batch leaching experiments of the tailings taken from a closed mine site and numerical simulation of groundwater flow and solute migration around the dam were conducted to characterize the leaching and migration of heavy metals from the tailings dam. The results showed that the high leaching concentrations of heavy metals were observed in the tailings, and thatconstructing a low-permeable wall downstream of the tailings dam was an efficient method of improving the quality of AMD.

KEYWORDS: Acid mine drainage (AMD)/ Closed mine / Heavy metals /Leaching