Mining of minerals such as gold, copper, and platinum has been one of several activities sustaining the economy of South Africa. However, the mining sector has contributed significantly to environmental contamination through the improper disposal of mine tailings which covers vast areas of land. Therefore, this study utilised a vitrification …
In South Africa acid mine drainage, mainly from gold mine TSFs/tailings dams/slime dams, "remains one of the country's most serious environmental and socio-economic issues" [1]. The acidity forms ...
4 Conclusions. The natural radioactivity levels of mine tailings from Vatukoula Gold Mine Fiji Limited (VGML) were determined. The activity concentration levels of 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K in soil mine tailing samples have been studied using NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectrometry. The results obtained showed that the distribution of natural …
From when gold mining started more than a century ago, until 2006, South Africa has been the largest producer of gold in the world [ 3, 4 ]. Cronje et al. (2013) [
South Africa, defunct gold tailings dumps occupy large areas of land, with more than 270 mine dumps covering an area of 400km2 having been identi˚ ed (Oelofse et al. 2010). Many of these tailings dumps are situated in close proximity to human settlements, and typically contain reactive minerals and toxic
Soil contamination with heavy metals is a serious concern to food production and human health. The present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of tailings from an old mining site on heavy metal contamination of soil. Using a GPS to map out different sites around the tailing dam, soil samples were taken from under grassland at the …
Gold tailings dump of Fumani Mine was visible in two points located within the Village Mutititi and the copper tailings dump in one point. The tailings dump of Klein Letaba, Louis Moore and Fumani mines were all clearly visible in VPs KL-VP-02, LM-VP-02 and FM-VP-02, respectively. ... & Mathuthu, M. (2016). Heavy metal concentration in soil …
Abstract: This paper describes the rehabilitation status of a gold tailings storage facility (TSF) on the Witwatersrand, South Africa. The aim of the rehabilitation was to effect surface stability and dust control, rather than ecological restoration and closure. However, the contribution that this approach is making towards TSF rehabilitation needs to be …
Unfortunately, the electrokinetic treatment of mine tailings was only able to remove a small fraction of the metals, so there is a risk of mobilization of the residual fraction in the future due to the slow but continuous transformation of the minerals in the mine dump, due to chemical reactions with atmospheric oxygen and biological induced ...
Although mining plays a prominent role in the economy of South Africa, it is associated with many chemical hazards. Exposure to dust from mining can lead to many pathological effects depending on ...
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly) – With demand for gold currently off the charts, South Africa has a huge opportunity to recover gold from its surfeit of gold …
Mining of minerals such as gold, copper, and platinum has been one of several activities sustaining the economy of South Africa. However, the mining sector has contributed significantly to environmental contamination through the improper disposal of mine tailings which covers vast areas of land. Therefore, this study utilised a vitrification process to …
Gold mining waste was estimated to account for 221 million tonnes or 47 % of all mineral waste produced in South Africa, making it the largest, single source of waste and pollution." "The South African government must introduce regulatory reforms that will ensure effective transparency and monitoring of tailings facilities," says Hassen ...
Radioactive dumps in communities. Johannesburg and surrounding communities' main concern are mine mountain dumps, made up of crushed, sand-like refuse materials known as tailings produced during the mining process, a complex mixture of metals and dust particles. Read more: The Kabwe lead mine, closed over 20 years …
In the Blesbokspruit area of Ekuhurleni, South Africa, previous gold mining activities resulted in many tailings dump sites. 20 representative soil samples were used in describing the distribution of metals. The soils were very strongly acidic ranging from 3.86 to 4.34 with a low cation exchange capacity (CEC). Based on X-ray fluorescence (XRF) …
In South Africa, defunct gold tailings dumps occupy large areas of land, with more than 270 mine dumps covering an area of 400km2 having been identi ed (Oelofse et al. 2010).
Witwatersrand in South Africa is home to the largest known gold reserves in the world, making the country one of the world leaders in gold mining (Hart 2014). However, gold mining has also resulted in the genera-tion of thousands of tailings dumps along the gold mining corridor from Nigel to Randfontein (Bobbins 2015).
Phase 1 involves upgrading the Driefontein 2 plant to process tailings from the Driefontein 5 dump at a rate of between 400 000 and 600 000 tpm and depositing the residue on the Driefontein 4 tailings dam. First production is expected in the first quarter of 2019, adding up to 120 kg or 3 800 oz of gold a month to DRDGOLD's production profile.
Johannesburg's mine dumps look strangely beautiful from a distance. Lustrously yellow in the sun, blazing red at dusk, their huge molehill shapes provide the city with its distinctive skyline ...
Abstract. The tailings dumps originating from gold mining in South Africa's Witwatersrand still contain notable gold endowments. Most tailings reprocessing …
Several commercially profitable enterprises have also been set up to retreat tailings dumps from South Africa's Witwatersrand gold processing operations. The article explains that business need to determine the economic viability of their mineral assets, as well as the the quality of the tailings material, the grade variability, and ...
Several commercially profitable enterprises have also been set up with the sole intention of retreating tailings dumps arising from South Africa's Witwatersrand …
Gold mining operations generate a range of ecological and environmental impacts that can be measured spatially using geographic information system and remote sensing methods. This study assessed land-use and land-cover dynamics in the gold mining area using geographic information system and remote sensing techniques with …
Through a program that began in 2011, Barrick Gold Corp.-owned Golden Sunlight has paid out more than $45 million to small miners in the last seven years, company officials say. All of it has been ...
Over a period of 90 years (1886 to 1976) gold was being actively mined from underground workings, which left a trail of mine dumps stretching along the length of the Main Reef. On coming to South Africa in 1975 I would often travel along the Main Reef Road, on a winter Saturday afternoon, to play an "away" game of rugby at ERPM …
Mining of gold in the Welkom and ia areas of the Free State Province in South Africa has produced numerous gold mine tailings, which contain a variety of contaminants. The extent of contamination of groundwater in the area was studied by measuring several water quality indicators at eight sampling sites, and within three …
Gold mining is a major contributor to this and is considered to be the largest single source of waste pollution in South Africa [ 1 ]. According to [ 1] there are 270 …
RESEARCH ARTICLE . Perceptions of external costs of dust fallout from gold mine tailings: West Wits Basin . Mbalenhle Mpanza I; Elhadi Adam II; Raeesa Moolla III. I University of Johannesburg, Post Office Box 17011, Johannesburg, 2018,and School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, 55 …
New technology allows it to recover up to 40% of the gold left in particle form in tailings. DRD Gold extracted 33,600 ounces of gold, worth nearly US$40 million, in the last quarter of 2013. Mintails, a mine …
The mining of old tailings storage facilities (TSFs) or dams/dumps has become a common operation in South Africa. This practice has several interesting aspects that are different …