Pre-congress mini courses

Program content:

This course will cover best practices for the construction of monitoring wells applied to the sampling of inorganics, the collection, analysis and interpretation of hydrochemical data applied to mining areas subject to AMD. The discussion will have as the main points the chemical balance of metals in solution in groundwater, the traditional and innovative methods of sampling groundwater, outside the context of sampling for areas contaminated with organics, whose methodology erroneously applied to areas with AMD harm a lot the characterization of contaminated areas or not. Topics will be presented that present the contribution of stable isotopes to the investigation of contaminated areas, with a view to separating what is an AMD problem and what is natural. Classic examples will be discussed, brought from the experience of the company MDGEO, in the analysis of areas affected by AMD, in which, by not applying procedures aimed at the contamination of organics, it was possible to mischaracterize false contaminated areas.

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Antônio Carlos Bertachini Geologist (1975) and Master (1987) in Hydrogeology from the USP Geosciences Institute (IGc-USP, University of São Paulo), with specialization in Hydrogeology (1978) from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Barcelona-Spain). He has over 46 years of experience as a Hydrogeologist. He worked on: Underground Water Service of the Department of Water and Electric Energy of the Government of São Paulo (1985-1982); Minas Gerais Technological Center Foundation (1982-1987); Minerações Brasileiras Reunidas, Nova Lima, state of Minas Gerais (1987 to 1997). In 1990 he founded the company MDGEO, initially focused on providing hydrogeology services in areas of mining, drainage and geotechnology. Today it operates in projects from the most varied areas, with a focus on hydrogeology and the environment. The activities in mining stand out: mine dewatering, supply and AMD, remediation of industrial areas, public supply and agribusiness, always focusing on the sustainability of the use of water resources.

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Lucas Padoan de Sá Godinho Born in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, Lucas Padoan de Sá Godinho is a geologist. He graduated from the Institute of Geosciences at University of São Paulo (IGc-USP), with a master’s degree in sedimentology and a doctorate in the ​​geology of karst systems (IGc-USP). He has 10 years of professional experience in environmental consulting, with a focus on hydrogeology applied to mining and speleological environmental licensing. His main specializations are the management and coordination of multiple projects, the representation of companies with customers and environmental agencies, developing conceptual and numerical hydrogeological models (MODFLOW), the hydrochemical analysis for investigation of contaminated areas, the inventory of points of underground water and geospeleology, prospecting and mapping of caves. He did a sandwich doctoral internship abroad, at Purdue University, USA, between October/2019 and March/2020, funded by PDSE – Sandwich Doctoral Program Abroad, CAPES (Coordination of Higher Education Personnel). His main scientific/academic interest is the geology of caves and karstic terrains, with experience in the areas of speleogenesis, geomorphology and karstic hydrogeology, dating of burial deposits (OSL and 26Al and 10Be cosmogenic methods), dating of carbonate deposits secondary (U-Th series) and sedimentology, with an emphasis on continental deposits (fluvial, wind and lacustrine environments).

Program content:

• What are static tests?
• What is their applicability and in what situations?
• Should static studies follow kinetic testing?
• Why and for what?
• What tests does SGS Geosol currently have?
• Why have we seen an increase in the demand for static testing but the demand for kinetic testing does not keep up with this demand?

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Instructor: Silvânio Eduardo da Silva Bachelor of Biological Sciences at Centro Universitário Metodista Izabela Hendrix (FAMIH). Postgraduation in Chemistry from UFLA (University of LAvras), MBA in Environmental Management: Mining and Water Resources (Pitágoras) and Technician in Chemistry (Polimig). Supervisor of the Environmental Laboratory of SGS GEOSOL Laboratory (analysis of water, effluents, residues, sediments, soil and AMD).

Program content:

Kinetic tests and their correct interpretation is fundamental for Mine Planning, for the Management of Areas Impacted by Acid Mine Drainage or Metal Leaching, as well as for Mine Closure projects. This mini-course will address the main kinetic tests with internationally accepted methodology, their methodological peculiarities and applications.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Professionals who work with Acid Mine Drainage or Metal Leaching and other people interested in the subject.

PROGRAM:

08:30 to 10:15 –
Acid Mine Drainage – Concepts and Applications – Approach Conceptual and Technical
Kinetic Tests – Principles and Applications – Field Applications – Barrel Test, on-site test, pile test – Methods and Interpretation of Results.

10:15 to 10:30 – Range

10:30 to 12:00 – Kinetic Tests – Principles and Applications – Lab Applications – Free Leaching, Column Test and Humid cell – Methods and Interpretation of Results.

12:00 to 12:30 – Space for Discussion – Case Studies

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Fernando Vilela Chemist, with a Doctorate in Chemistry and has been working for over ten years in the field of Geochemical Analysis and Environmental Monitoring. He has several articles on this theme and has given lectures and short courses in the Area of Analysis for Investigation and Control of Acid Mine Drainage.

Program content:

1. The AMD and ML Generation Process (1 hour)

Within the scope of the Acid Rock Drainage Process the course will addressed:

• Introduction;
• Acid Drainage, Neutral Mine Drainage and Saline Drainage;
• Natural vs. anthropogenic drainage;
• The acid generation process;
• Global and geochemical sulfur cycles;
• Acid rock drainage sources;
• Sulfide oxidation process;
• Sulfide oxidation reaction products;
• Neutralization reactions

2. Site characterization (1 hour)

In the scope of diagnosis, defining the problem will be addressed through the characterization of the following items:

• Introduction;
• Site characterization approach;
• Phases of the mine life cycle;
• Acid rock drainage sources;
• Development of the website conceptual model;
• Geoenvironmental models;
• Geochemical characterization of source material

3. Analysis and interpretation of static and kinetic results (2 hours)

The scope of prediction will be divided into the following topics below:

• Introduction;
• Forecasting Program Objectives;
• The Forecasting Approach;
• Characterization of acid rock drainage / metal leaching;
• Water quality forecast;
• Forecasting tools;
• Geological and lithological investigations;
• Hydrogeological / hydrological investigations;
• Introduction to geochemical characterization;
• Summary of test requirements;
• Physical characteristics;
• Element concentration in total and almost total solid phase;
• Mineralogical properties;
• Liquid acid or acid rock drainage potential;
• Short-term leaching tests;
• Kinetic laboratory tests;
• Field methods;
• Quality assurance / quality control;
• Screening and evaluation criteria;
• Reports;
• Modeling of Acid Rock Drainage, Neutral Mine Drainage and Saline Drainage for Characterization and Remediation

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Dr. Flavio Vasconcelos Ph.D. Dr. Vasconcelos is a hydrogeologist and environmental geochemist in the Brazilian operations of HidroGeo Engenharia & Gestão de Projetos Ltda, graduated in geology at UnB in 1992 and holds a master’s and doctorate in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from Colorado School of Mines in the USA in 1997 and 2000. He did two postdocs, the first in 2001 at the University of Delware, in the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Eng., in the area of bioavailability of metals in receiving bodies and the second in 2003 at UFMG in the Dept. of Mines and Metallurgy, studying the mobility of arsenic in mining environments. He was a senior consultant for Canadian (Golder Associates, SRK), American (AECOM, ERM) and Brazilian (Amplo Eng., Walm, BVP and HidroGeo Eng. & Project Management) engineering companies in recent years. He has over 27 years of experience in the discipline and technical areas of hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry, disposal and transport of metals in the environment, wastewater treatment and site rehabilitation of areas for the mining industries in South America. He is an expert in the following areas : mining waste management, waste rock characterization, acid rock drainage assessment, forecasting future water quality in mining projects; mine waste leachate control and mining effluent treatment, metal bioavailability, effluent management, ecological and environmental risk assessment and mine closure plans. In 2009 he launched the technical book on Water Quality Assessment – Technological Basis for Environmental Management in Portuguese with two other senior Limnologists, he has extensive experience in hydrogeology, site assessment, environmental geochemical studies and risk assessment. Since 2018, he has been President of the Brazilian Association of Underground Water in the Minas Gerais nucleus (ABAS-MG). The institution promotes technical activities for technical training and preservation of underground water throughout the country.

Program content:

This introductory course will cover the fundamentals necessary for the development of numerical geochemical models with the PHREEQC software.

The main topics to be covered:

• Theoretical basis of chemical reactions and reaction thermodynamics (applicable to PHREEQC);
• Insertion of data (input) and understanding the results (output) of the model;
• Simulation of water-rock reactions;
• Interpretation of model results with application to hydrogeochemistry in the context of mining.

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Rafael Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Geochemist and hydrogeologist from Water Services and Technologies, graduated in geology and with a master’s degree from Simon Fraser University, Canada. Rafael works on several consultancy projects in the areas of hydrogeochemistry and hydrogeology related to the following areas of interest: mine drainage/geochemistry, hydrogeochemistry and regional hydrogeology, water supply, water quality, environment, mining and regional characterization of aquifers. His experience includes many aspects of these projects, including field visits and trials, determining sampling and monitoring programs, data interpretation, conceptual models, numerical modelling, writing technical reports and oral presentations. He has solid experience in geological modeling (using LeapFrog), numerical modeling of contaminant flow and transport (in Visual MODFLOW and FEFLOW) and geochemical modeling (PHREEQC). He also works on the interpretation and critical analysis of hydrogeochemical and environmental isotope data. His master’s thesis was focused on understanding the hydrogeochemical evolution and mobilization of metals in aquifers, having received an award from the Geological Society of America for the quality and relevance of the research carried out. Rafael regularly teaches courses on theoretical hydrogeochemistry, hydrogeochemistry applied to mining and other topics related to hydrogeology.

Program content:

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Failure to reduce surface water contact and net infiltration into mine waste can result in excessive drainage of mine impacted water that will require water treatment. This workshop is designed to provide an integrated assessment of the factors affecting mine waste drainage across a variety of climatic environments and present standard and cutting-edge methods for controlling acid rock drainage. Participants will be introduced to characterization, modeling and monitoring tools to predict and monitor mine waste drainage as well as state-of-the art methods in mitigating mine waste affected drainage via cover systems and water treatment. Closure case studies from different climatic environments will be presented.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

The course is designed for mine operators and consultants who practice in the areas of mine water management and mine closure to enhance their knowledge and provide tools for the design, modeling and monitoring of mine water management systems.

WORKSHOP PROGRAM:

13:30 to 14:45 – Characterization of tailings, waste rock and heap leach materials with consideration for mine closure (75 min)

• Major mine waste types and their characteristics
• Climatic considerations and major components of the water balance
• Conceptual models of mine waste drain-down and long-term drainage behavior
• Field characterization and laboratory characterization to determine hydraulic properties as function of material types and consolidation
• Long-term stability of mine closure features
• Case Study – Tailings Storage Facility Characterization and Modeling
• Case Study – Waste Rock Dump Characterization and Modeling

14:45 to 15:00 – Break

15:00 to 16:15 – Mine waste cover systems (75 min)

• Cover systems as a function of climate
• Remote sensing tools to estimate site-specific water balance
• Borrow material characterization to optimize vegetation establishment optimize evapotranspiration
• Development of conceptual models to estimate mine waste seepage and cover system performance
• Use of analytical and numerical models
• Case study – Cover system design and optimization
• Case study – Cover performance monitoring system

16:15 to 16:30 – Break

16:30 to 17:30 – Surface Water and Erosion Control (60 min)

• Erosion resistance
• Erosion control in different climates – vegetation vs rock armor
• Surface Water Collection and Conveyance
• Design Storm Events
• Design Flows