2nd International Conference Graz
October, 10th 2012
Effects on Groundwater by Mining
Adaptation Topic 1
PP8 – LfULG (speaker: Corina Niemand)
PP7 – IRRI
PP2 – RWM
(PP6 – IMGW)
LfULG - Areas of Work
Future topics
Legal execution
Support of policy
Research
Education
Transfer of knowledge
and technology
Financial support
Environmental
monitoring
PP Mining Areas - Active Mining
Ayrshire, Scotland
A
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Jänschwalde, Germany
www.kier.co.uk
Turow, Poland
http://img.fotocommunity.com/photos/12070483.jpg
fotocommunity.de :Hardy Ulitzka
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Ptolemaida, Greece
Poland (turow, Gwra)
A
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Greece
Radke, Peter (LMBV)
But:
Way is long and difficult!
http://moorbraun.twoday.net/stories/5055934
Quantity
Problems
(Enormous) groundwater deficit
• Lusatian mining area 1990:
around 13 billion m³ GW deficit
groundwater lowering funnels about
2100 km2
Quality
poor water quality of ground and
surface waters
•low pH values – acid mine drainage
•high sulfate concentrations
•high concentrations of dissolved iron
•containing a high level of suspended
solids
• and others
Adaptation Process:
Visiting the mining area Schleenhain Germany (PP7, PP8)
Questionnaire for IRRI Answer to Questionnaire
Involving/ using information from other projects
Visiting mine Turow/Poland and MWTP all PP
Visit lake Berzdorf/Germany (flooded) all PP
Draft structure adaptation report
Visiting mining area Ptolemaida/ Greece
Interest of PP2 on this adaptation topic
Revised draft adaptation report
Questionnaire for PP2-->
Table of treatment methods
Multiple choice table
Draft adaptation report
More time
Groundwater – Quantity
Before mining
mining
After mining
flooded by groundwater and
surface water
filled
Acid mine drainage
What can be done?
Before mining
1. Quantity
2. Quality
mining
Mine water treatment plants
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What can be done?
Oxidative mine water treatment
Example: Mining Area Schleenhain, Germany
What can be done?
flooded by groundwater and
surface water
filled
1. Quantity
A
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http://www.kuehn-hjp.de/Meuro/e3-44-10b.jpg
http://dabonline.de/wpcontent/uploads/lmbv_1042-201x300.jpg
2. Quality
What can be done?
In Situ
In lake
On site
Microbial sulfate
reduction by DSI
Stationary entry above and below the
water surface
Mine water treatment
plants
Sulfate reduction with
fixed-bed reactor
Mobile entry above and below the
water surface
Microbial ammonium
reduction
Reduction of
groundwater recharge
Improve sustainability by buffering
with CO2 and power plant ash
dump and groundwater
Seewasser
seawater
Electrochemical
reduction of sulfate
runoff water
What can be done?
Inlake method to neutralize the lake water
Inlake - Technologies
Use of remediation ships: alkaline buffering by entry of HCO3 generated on board in the
surface water body (Inlake liming)
reference LMBV
What should be done?
Basic research
Applied research
(laboratory / pilot plant test)
Pilot test at the site
Use in rehabilitation

passive / active techniques

geotechnical, chemical, physical,
biological, microbial processes
What should be done?
1
Groundwater
Rehabilitation technologies – state
of research
well
Substrat
e
Heterotrophic Sulphate-Reduction in
the aquifer
2
Autotrophic Sulphate-Reduction
3
Membrane process (Nanofiltration)
4
Inlake Reactors for reductive
sulphate separation
6
Conditioning of the lake system
Infiltration well
Surface water
Substrate concentratetd
groundwater flow
moraine clay
7
Reaction carpets for inflow treatment
9
Membrane electrolysis facility
Iron sulphate precipitation
10
…
…
to be amended
supported by project VODAMIN
The end of the project SHARP is not the end of cooperation
• „…Filling old mines with water must be…“ SHARPSong Vers 3
• Enormous water deficit
•  need to know the water balance in the region
• Project of PP7 and PP8
2012-2014
Transboundary
catchment area
Lusatian Neisse