Sulfide Complexes of Tailings/Berkeley Pit Water
Principal Investigator: Dr. Steve Anderson
pknudsenn@mtech.edu
This project attempted to determine the sulfide complexes that may
be formed from deposition of mill tailings into the Berkeley Pit
Lake. It is generally believed that any metal oxides that are mobilized
in the upper oxidized zone of sulfide-bearing tailings will be re-precipitated
as sulfides in the lower reducing zones. Complexes formed in the
reducing zones of tailings may be mobilized as the oxidation-reduction
potential within the tailings changes. This project performed a
leach ability study of tailings produced by Montana Resources, Inc.,
who operates adjacent to the Berkeley Pit. A column study was set
up investigating the following three mixtures: (1) limed tailings
slurry and Berkeley Pit water; (2) unlimed tailings slurry and Berkeley
Pit water; and (3) unlimed tailings slurry and distilled water.
Six month samples showed that the limed tailings slurry resulted
in increased aquesous concentrations of copper, iron, and sulfate,
and decreased concentrations of arsenic. In the unlimed slurry and
Berkeley Pit water, aqueous copper and arsenic concentrations decreased
slightly, while there were increases in the iron and sulfate concentrations.
In the columns containing unlimed slurry and distilled water, copper,
iron, and sulfate concentrations all increased significantly.
Activity IV, Project 13
Final Report
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