##  [Monitoring the Behaviour of Sludge in the Vadose Zone](/resource/monitoring-behaviour-sludge-vadose-zone) 

Organization

[University of New Brunswick (UNB)](/organization/university-new-brunswick-unb)

[Canadian Land Reclamation Association (CLRA)](/organization/canadian-land-reclamation-association-clra)

 

 

Project

[National CLRA Conference Papers](/project/national-clra-conference-papers)

 

Resource Type

[Report](/taxonomy/term/38)

 

 

Author(s)

Michelle Coleman

Karl Butler

Nicholas Susak

 

 

Original Authors

Michelle Coleman

Karl Butler

Nicholas Susak

 

 

Resource Date:

2016

 

Page Length

5

 

 

The Fire Road Mine coal mine in eastern Canada has been a source  
of acid mine drainage since the mid 1980's. Lime neutralization treatment has  
been ongoing and lime treatment costs and mine water acidity levels have  
dropped significantly over time. Placement of the resulting treatment sludge back  
onto and into the backfilled mine site may be a factor in reducing the mine water  
acidity. One of the originally defined benefits of placing the sludge back into the  
waste rock was that the sludge would fill up the void spaces and possibly  
decrease the rate of oxygen diffusion to the waste rock that was above the  
ground (mine) water elevation. This would possibly reduce the rate of acid  
generation.

ERI results support the hypothesis that resistivity imaging can identify areas  
where sludge is likely resident in the vadose zone. This information was beneficial  
to determining the behaviour of the sludge in the vadose zone and initiated  
discussions about the whether the benefits of sludge in this zone are temporary or  
long term. Improving the mine water chemistry to "zero lime demand" is the  
ultimate goal for mine water treatment at this mine.