1. World problems
  2. Acid mine drainage

Acid mine drainage

  • Toxic metal mine tailings
  • Acid leaching from mining residues

Nature

Worldwide, acid mine drainage is considered the most serious environmental problem in the mining sector. Acid mine drainage occurs when the sulphides contained in mine tailings are exposed to oxygen and water to become sulphuric acid. The result pollutes the watershed causing considerable damage to the environment and imposing expensive solutions on mining companies as well as governments.

Incidence

Mining produces 15 billion tonnes of residues each year, adding to the material produced for hundreds of years.

Broader

Strategy

Value

Undermining
Yet to rate
Toxicity
Yet to rate
Residues
Yet to rate

SDG

Sustainable Development Goal #6: Clean Water and SanitationSustainable Development Goal #7: Affordable and Clean Energy

Metadata

Database
World problems
Type
(G) Very specific problems
Subject
Content quality
Yet to rate
 Yet to rate
Language
English
Last update
Dec 3, 2024