Prediction of Acid Generation Potential in the Haizhou Waste Rock Pile, Northeast of China

The present study involved the assessment of potential generation of acid drainage from a large coal waste rock pile in China. Laboratory-based static tests including paste pH and paste conductivity, acid-base accounting (ABA), and static net acid generation (NAG) on waste rock samples were conducted. Static tests are short term and relatively low cost tests developed to provide an estimate of a mine waste's capacity to produce acid and its capacity to neutralize acid. The static tests, mineralogical and geochemical composition of soils suggest that the waste rock is non-acid generating. The large amount of aluminosilicate minerals and probably trace amounts of carbonates with respect to low sulfur content of waste rock pile represents a potentially large source of neutralization potential according to test results.