Characterization of legacy and expected future mine rock at the Grassy Mountain Project site using traditional and advanced kinetic testing

Mining operations generate large amounts of unused geomaterials (e.g., mine rock) that are generally stored on site in mine
rock storage facilities (MRSFs). When mine rock is exposed to atmospheric conditions (i.e., atmospheric oxygen as air and
water) sulfide minerals oxidize and produce acid rock drainage (ARD). The acidic effluent can subsequently leach metal ions
from adjacent rocks (and the mine rock itself). The Grassy Mountain Project is a proposed metallurgical coal mine located on
previously mined land in the Crowsnest Pass near Blairmore Alberta. The previous mine was abandoned in the 1970’s with
no rehabilitation or reclamation. If not properly controlled and treated, the ARD and metal leaching (ML) can create
environmental and health concerns for wildlife and human populations reliant on local watersheds. The intern identified in
this proposal will undertake advanced testing of the legacy and expected future mine rock at Grassy Mountain to examine
how mine rock evolves with time using advanced customized leach columns (ACLCs) to quantify the production of ML-ARD.
The primary outcome of this project will provide the partner companies with a better understanding of mine rock evolution
and the controls that govern ML-ARD production in MRSFs.

Faculty Supervisor:

Laura Smith

Student:

Partner:

Northback;Okane Consultants

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Mining

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program: