Topic WQ-3

White Paper Topic: Treatment for Non-Conventional Constituents Associated with Mine Drainage

Development Team: Chuck Cravotta, Gary Bryant, Ken Johnson, Dan Sweeney

Date: January 17, 2006

Problem Definition:

• Coal mine drainage can contain a variety of constituents, such as arsenic, selenium, nickel, zinc, that are not routinely regulated or evaluated (non-conventional) but that may be toxic to aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals.
• Data generally are available on the chemical properties of relevant inorganic and organic substances and on their toxicity to fresh-water aquatic life, plants, and higher organisms.
• Data generally are available on the possible geological sources, transport mechanisms, and attenuation processes of potentially toxic constituents in mine drainage.
• However, few data are available (1) documenting the occurrence and distribution of non-conventional contaminants in mine drainage, associated streams, and sediments; (2) documenting the biological response and possible synergistic effects of multiple contaminants; and (3) providing guidance on design protocols for treatment methods that address conventional contaminants and meet toxicity thresholds for non-conventional constituents.

Course of Action

• Various mine drainage sources and passive and active treatment systems need to be characterized and evaluated for efficiency of removal of non-conventional and conventional contaminants.
• Possible solubility, redox, and adsorption controls by hydroxide, sulfate, sulfide and other minerals need to be explored and compared with the environmental occurrence of trace elements and other non-conventional contaminants in mine drainage or associated streams.
• Key variables affecting transport and toxicity of non-conventional constituents need to be identified and evaluated through use of geochemical modeling, biological monitoring, and empirical testing.
• Toxicity effects on relevant plants and animals should be identified, with potential for specific organisms to be used as indicator species (biological monitors).
• Treatment processes and extraction methods that selectively remove non-conventional constituents should be explored for possible application in resource recovery.

SELECTED REFERENCES

• Brezina, E.R., and Arnold, M.V., 1977, Levels of heavy metals in fishes from selected Pennsylvania waters: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Bureau of Water Quality Management Publication No. 50, 50 p.
• Burrows, W.D., 1977, Aquatic aluminum--chemistry, toxicology, and environmental prevalence: CRC Critical Reviews in Environmental Controls 7, p. 167-216.
• Campbell, P.G.C., Lewis, A.G., Chapman, P.M., Crowder, A.A., Fletcher, W.K., Imber, B., Luoma, S.N., Stokes, P.M., and Winfrey, M., 1988, Biologically available metals in sediments: National Research Council Canada Publication No. NRCC 27694, 298 p.
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1998a, Chapter 87. Surface mining of coal. Pennsylvania Code, Title 25. Environmental Protection: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, p. 87.1-87.122.
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1998b, Chapter 89. Underground mining of coal and coal preparation facilities. Pennsylvania Code, Title 25. Environmental Protection: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, p. 89.1-89.96.
• Cravotta, C.A., III, and Bilger, M.D., 2001, Water-quality trends for a stream draining the Southern Anthracite Field, Pennsylvania: Geochemistry-Exploration, Environment, Analysis 1, 33-50.
• Earle, J., and Callaghan, T., 1998, Effects of mine drainage on aquatic life, water uses, and man-made structures, In: Brady, K.B.C., Smith, M.W., and Schueck, J.H., eds., The prediction and prevention of acid drainage from surface coal mines in Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, Pa., Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 5600-BK-DEP2256, p. 4.1-4.10.
• Elder, J.R., 1988, Metal biogeochemistry in surface-water systems: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1013, 43 p.
• Hyman, D.M., and Watzlaf, G.R., 1997, Metals and other components of coal mine drainage as related to aquatic life standards, In: Proceedings of the 1997 National Meeting of the American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation, May 10-15, 1997, Austin, Texas: Princeton, W. V., American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation, p. 531-545.
• MacDonald, D.D., Ingersoll, C.G. and Berger, T.A., 2000, Development and evaluation of consensus-based sediment quality guidelines for freshwater ecosystems: Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 39, 20-31.
• Nordstrom, D.K. and Alpers, C.N., 1999, Geochemistry of acid mine waters, In: Plumlee G.S., and Logsdon, M.J., eds., The Environmental Geochemistry of Mineral Deposits-- Part A. Processes, techniques, and health issues: Society of Economic Geologists, Reviews in Economic Geology, v. 6A, p. 133-160.
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• Rose, A.W., and Cravotta, C.A., III, 1998, Geochemistry of coal-mine drainage, In: Brady, K.B.C., Smith, M.W., and Schueck, J.H., eds., The prediction and prevention of acid drainage from surface coal mines in Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, Pa., Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 5600-BK-DEP2256, p. 1.1-1.22.
• Smith, K.S., and Huyck, H.L.O., 1999, An overview of the abundance, relative mobility, bioavailability, and human toxicity of metals, In: Plumlee, G.S., and Logsdon, M.J., eds., The Environmental Geochemistry of Mineral Deposits--Part A. Processes, methods, and health issues: Reviews in Economic Geology, v. 6A, p. 29-70.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2002a, National recommended water quality criteria--2002: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA 822-R-02-047, 33 p.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2002b, National primary drinking water standards: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA 816-F-02-013, July 2002, 7 p. (http://www.epa.gov/safewater).
• Winland, R.L., Traina, S.J., and Bigham, J.M., 1991, Chemical composition of ochreous precipitates from Ohio coal mine drainage: Journal of Environmental Quality 20, 452-460.