Definition of Acid mine drainage

EIA Energy Glossary
Acid mine drainage
This refers to water pollution that results when sulfur-bearing minerals associated with coal are exposed to air and water and form sulfuric acid and ferrous sulfate. The ferrous sulfate can further react to form ferric hydroxide, or yellowboy, a yellow-orange iron precipitate found in streams and rivers polluted by acid mine drainage.

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Acid mine drainage definition was found in categories: Society & Culture(2)  Encyclopedia(1)  

Acid mine drainage Definition from Society & Culture Dictionaries & Glossaries

EPA Terms of Environment
Acid Mine Drainage
Drainage of water from areas that have been mined for coal or other mineral ores. The water has a low pH because of its contact with sulfur-bearing material and is harmful to aquatic organisms.

Environmental Engineering (English ver.)
acid mine drainage
Drainage of water from areas that have been mined for coal of other mineral ores; the water has low pH, sometimes less than 2.0 (is acid), because of its contact with sulfur-bearing material; acid drainage is harmful because it often kills aquatic organisms.

ACID MINE DRAINAGE (AMD)
Acidic water that flows into streams from abandoned mines or piles of mining waste or tailings. The acid arises from the oxidation of iron sulfide compounds in the mines by air, dissolved oxygen in the water, and chemoautotrophs, which are bacteria that can use the iron sulfide as an energy source. Iron sulfide oxidation products include sulfuric acid, the presence of which has reduced or eliminated aquatic life in many streams in mining regions. Also see Open-Pit Mining and Yellowboy. Also referred to as Acid Mine Waste.


Acid mine drainage Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries

Wikipedia English - The Free Encyclopedia
Acid mine drainage
Acid mine drainage (AMD), or acid rock drainage (ARD), refers to the outflow of acidic water from (usually) abandoned metal mines or coal mines. However, other areas where the earth has been disturbed (e.g. construction sites, subdivisions, transportation corridors, etc.) may also contribute acid rock drainage to the environment. In many localities the liquid that drains from coal stocks, coal handling facilities, coal washeries, and even coal waste tips can be highly acidic, and in such cases it is treated as acid rock drainage. Acid rock drainage occurs naturally within some environments as part of the rock weathering process but is exacerbated by large-scale earth disturbances characteristic of mining and other large construction activities, usually within rocks containing an abundance of sulfide minerals.

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