Pyrite oxidation inhibition by hydrophobic films for acid mine drainage control at the source

Acid mine drainage (AMD), which is also known as acid rock drainage (ARD), can cause serious environmental pollution, especially for surrounding aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems due toits low pH, high metal and sulfate concentration. Acid mine drainage is an urgent environmental problem for the worldwide ore mining industry. In this paper, we demonstrated that hydrophobic films can inhibit the oxidation of pyrite-bearing tailings to achieve the control of at-source AMD. The results of chemical leaching testing showed that the hydrophobic films formed by linoleic acid can suppress the oxidation of pyrite-bearing tailings and reduce the AMD production. In addition, the presence of hydrophobic films of linoleic acid on the surface of pyrite-bearing tailings was confirmed by the results from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM / EDS).