What chemical are in a tailings pond?
Tailings ponds are enormous human-made reservoirs the size of lakes in which the toxic byproduct of oil extraction from tar sands are stored. They contain dangerous chemicals such as ammonia, lead, mercury, benzene and naphthenic acid.
Why are tailings ponds problematic?
There are several environmental concerns that are associated with the existence of tailings ponds. The main problem with the ponds is that they include toxic and harmful chemicals such as ammonia, mercury, and naphthenic acids. The water containing these chemicals is toxic to animals, particularly aquatic organisms.
Are mine tailings toxic?
Mine tailings are usually produced from the mill in slurry form, which is a mixture of fine mineral particles and water. Tailings, especially tailing stored in water by tailings dam in ponds, can be dangerous sources of toxic chemicals, such as heavy metals, sulfides and radioactive content.
In what ways might the leaching of chemicals from tailing ponds affect the water quality in a local community?
A: When the leaching of tailings ponds occurs, it can cause a lot of issues to the animals and people around it. The chemicals left in the water leach into the ground or into other drinking water sources poisoning the water. The result is that people do not have safe groundwater to drink.
Are mining tailings toxic?
Do tailings ponds freeze?
Fluid tailings are warm when disposed of, so tailings lakes don’t freeze in the winter. Because of this, wildlife are attracted to the toxic lakes in cold weather.
Is there gold in mine tailings?
Tailings are the major wastes produced from gold extraction and they contain high amounts of heavy metals (HM). These metals leach out in an uncontrolled manner into surrounding environments on exposure to water or through dispersal by wind.
How do you get rid of tailings?
Tailings that do not exceed regulatory thresholds for metals, acid-generating compounds and other hazards may be able to be disposed of without the cost and liability of a water-covered impoundment. This can be done through processing the ore in a way that concentrates the sulphides.
What are some of the consequences associated with tailings?
Mine tailings are the materials left over after the process of separating the desired product from an ore. They often consist of fine particles suspended in water, which have the potential to damage the environment by releasing toxic metals, causing erosion and sinkholes, and contaminating soil and water supplies.
Can you mine tailings?
Mine sites typically manage tailings by constructing ponds secured by dams. According to the web site miningfacts.org, another strategy is to produce thickened tailings, which are pressed or have chemicals added to remove excess water.
How do you extract gold from tailings?
Put simply, tailings are ground up rock minus the gold. Rocks mined from underground which contain gold are called ore. Processing involves crushing the ore into sand to liberate and recover the gold.
What are tailing ponds used for?
Tailings ponds are engineered dam and dyke facilities used for storage of tailings materials. Tailing ponds are also used to enable water to separate from the tailings. Water from the tailings ponds is recycled back into the extraction process, reducing the use of fresh water from the Athabasca River and other sources.
What do Miners do with the tailings?
Tailings ponds are used to store the waste made from separating minerals from rocks, or the slurry produced from tar sands mining. Tailings are sometimes mixed with other materials such as bentonite to form a thicker slurry that slows the release of impacted water to the environment.
How do you store mine tailings?
Tailings are generally stored on the surface either within retaining structures or in the form of piles (dry stacks) but can also be stored underground in mined out voids by a process commonly referred to as backfill.
What is a mining tailing pond?
Tailing ponds definition In the mining process, ore mills generate huge amounts of waste, called tailings. These are most commonly dumped into ponds created from naturally existing valleys, and secured by dams.
What is the problem with tailing ponds?
The composition of the water in the ponds varies, and it is usually rich in sulfates and heavy metals. The main threat of tailing ponds is the contamination of drinking water sources due to pond overflow or dam failure, or penetration into the aquifer. How can tailing ponds be rehabilitated?
What kind of water should be used in tailings?
Other naturally sourced water, such as rainfall or snowmelt that was also collected in the ponds, needs to undergo the same treatment as the tailings. The composition of the water in the ponds varies, and it is usually rich in sulfates and heavy metals.
How are tailings used in the mining process?
In the mining process, ore mills generate huge amounts of waste, called tailings. These are most commonly dumped into ponds created from naturally existing valleys, and secured by dams.