please respond to Bernie. with 200. words
Hey class!
I am fortunate that I do no
please respond to Bernie. with 200. words
Hey class!
I am fortunate that I do not have to use any of the treatment technologies that were discussed in our materials for this week…either at home or at work! When I was in the mining industry though, we used limestone pretty extensively to treatment mining affluent / tailings and water used in or portions of the processing cycle. This was covered in our reading on the “physiochemical technologies” which combines physical and chemical processes such as the two given examples given, air stripping and carbon absorption. Mine tailings were captured or transported to designated areas (this was highly regulated) where they continue to be treated until it was deemed safe for the “reclamation” process to begin. Reclamation is where we try to erase some of the scars left by the mining process through replanting and restoration. Some areas were even turned into state lakes and recreation areas. Other water used in the process cycle would need to meet certain requirements before being discharged into local rivers or streams (again, also highly regulated!). Limestone was so important to the process of treatment, that I saw supply chain issues even shut some mine sites down in cases where limestone deliveries were delayed for whatever reason.
The craziest example I can think of to share is that of mine tailings being disposed of into the ocean (See picture below). I will admit that it took me awhile to wrap my head around this concept. What I came to learn is that in addition to the permitting that was required with local governments, extensive testing requirements were also required of the surrounding water and environment, including wildlife. The permits defined the maximum allowable amounts of given substances and the company faced heavy fines if there was any deviation from those established amounts. Despite permits and educating the public, these types of practices are still looked at by many groups, such as NGOs, in a negative light. This emphasizes the importance of understanding environmental impacts and ensuring highly-effective controls are in place.