(SBRI) Metal Mine Remediation

Descriptions

BackgroundNine percent of Welsh rivers fail to meet the European Water Framework Directive objectives because of polluted discharges from the known 1311 abandoned metal mines across Wales. The polluted waters drain from mines, from the runoff from spoil heaps or from reworking of sediments.Passive mine water treatment technologies that have been applied with great success at coal mine drainage, principally for the removal of iron, will not work so well for the metals in non-coal mine drainage, notably zinc and cadmium. These metals are more soluble and so it is more difficult to remove them from the polluted water.Existing methods rely on active chemical treatment or large land areas for passive treatment (e.g. Reed beds), both of which are impractical at many of the remote metal mines which impact Welsh rivers. The old mine workings, processing areas, tailings dams, spoil tips and washed off sediments contain varying mineralogy’s and concentrations that under continuing wet and dry cycles provide varied metal loading to the river environment. This can be dependent on the availability or formation of metal carbonates at the sites, so understanding the geochemistry will be key to success.Our Aims and ObjectivesWe wish to see a reduction in the loading of metals to our rivers from abandoned metal mines. This will lead to improvements in river ecological quality and ultimately their reported status.We want small to medium size cost effective measures to help remediate or mitigate pollution from metal mine sites. The approaches should tackle mine water discharges (point source or diffuse source) or spoil heap pollution (water and air sourced), or contaminated sediment issues, or combinations of all three.Our ambition is to encourage innovative methods to treat mine waters or spoil heap runoff at many of the smaller more remote metal mine sites to reduce the loading of metals being discharged to our river systems.The approach must be as sustainable as possible and be light touch in terms of operating costs. Many sites are remote and are unlikely to have local services available to support the running of sites.Stage One Application Pack Available from Sell2Wales from 12th December 2014, briefing event 18th December 2014 10am-1pm Holiday Inn Coldra Newport Gwent, closing date 5th January 2015 midday via email only.For further information please contact;Richard Hancox, Natural Resources Wales Project Manager for SBRIEmail; richard.hancox@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.ukTelephone;(03000) 654302NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at http://www.sell2wales.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=20251.