Many different species of acidophilic prokaryotes, widely distributed within the domains Bacteria and Archaea, can catalyze the dissimilatory oxidation of ferrous iron or reduction of ferric iron, or can do both. Microbially mediated cycling of iron in extremely acidic environments (pH < 3) is strongly influenced by the enhanced chemical stability of ferrous iron and far greater solubility of f...

Mining operations are potential sources of airborne particulate metal and metalloid contaminants through both direct smelter emissions and wind erosion of mine tailings. The warmer, drier conditions predicted for the Southwestern US by climate models may make contaminated atmospheric dust and aerosols increasingly important, due to potential deleterious effects on human health and ecology. Dust...

0883-2927/$ see front matter 2010 Elsevier Ltd. A doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2010.09.010 ⇑ Corresponding author. Fax: +1 819 797 4727. E-mail address: [email protected] (B. Plante). Sorption phenomena are known to play significant roles in metal mobility in mine drainage waters. The present study focuses on sorption phenomena controlling Ni concentrations in contaminated neutral drainage issue...

LKAB’s Kiruna Mine is located above the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden, and produces about 24 million tons of iron ore per year, making it is the second largest underground mine in the world today. The orebody, a world-class high-grade magnetite deposit, is approximately 4 km long and 80 m wide on average, and lies roughly in the north-south direction, with a dip of some 60 degrees. Surface m...

introduction iron ore is one of the most important natural raw materials that is widely used for manufacturing iron and steel. this type of ore contains various amounts of radionuclides; thus, exposing workers handling their extraction, transportation, and processing to radiation. materials and methods in this study, 12 ore samples (each mass weighing about 2 kg) were collected from the iron or...

Thiobacillus ferrooxidans is found in many Alaskan and Canadian drainages contaminated by metals dissolved from placer and lode gold mines. We have examined the iron-limited growth and iron oxidation kinetics of a T. ferrooxidans isolate, AK1, by using batch and continuous cultures. Strain AK1 is an arsenic-tolerant isolate obtained from placer gold mine drainage containing large amounts of dis...

A cross-comparison of six strains isolated from two different regions, Chambishi copper mine (Zambia, Africa) and Dexing copper mine (China, Asia), was conducted to study the leaching efficiency of low grade copper ores. The strains belong to the three major species often encountered in bioleaching of copper sulfide ores under mesophilic conditions: Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobaci...

The aim of our study was to investigate how exposure to heavy metal-rich waters from gypsum mining affects the morphology and levels of primary DNA damage in Gammarus balcanicus. Chemical analysis revealed increased concentrations of metals in water and sediment collected at a site impacted by gypsum mine wastewaters. The specimens also showed elevated total tissue metal levels when compared wi...

This paper investigates an approach that combines ensemble methods with graphical models to analyse multiple sensor measurements in the context of mine automation. Drill sensor measurements used for drilling automation have the potential to provide an estimate of the subsurface geological properties of the rocks being drilled. A Boosting algorithm is used as a local classifier mapping drill mea...

Strata and surface movement induced by mining under open-pit final slope is a huge 8 threat to mine safety. Physical model test is an important method to study mining-induced strata 9 and surface movement laws. Because of rock joints predominantly control rock mass deformation 10 and failure, thus physical model test leaving out of consideration of rock joints is difficult to reflect 11 the inf...