Proceedings of Mine Closure Solutions, 2014

April 2630, 2014, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Published by InfoMine, 2014 InfoMine, ISBN: 978-0-9917905-4-8
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Mine closure conception and process development dos
and donts: A practical view from
the Portuguese experience
Sofia Barbosa, Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro (EDM) S.A., Portugal
Abstract
Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro (EDM) is a Portuguese state-owned company responsible for
planning environmental rehabilitation and remediation work for 175 former mines exploited in Portugal
during the twentieth century.
During the last 15 years, EDM, with the financial support of the Portuguese government and the
EU, has developed specific characterization studies, designed solutions for fieldwork, and applied
monitoring systems aimed at environmental attenuation and control of the most relevant impacts from
these old mining areas.
Introduction
Since site characterization is ongoing until a reliable final fieldwork design is achieved, several
conception aspects have to be balanced regarding cost/environment relationships and possible future
usage of the areas.
The concepts of impact and risk vary, sometimes very quickly, with factors that relate not only to
the old mining area itself but to its evolving surrounding conditions (see Figure 1).
Diversity of Portuguese old mining activities and consequences for
environmental remediation and land reclamation
From the north to the south, Portugal is a country with huge diversity in geology and with consequent
demarcated differences in its metallogeny and geochemical environments; therefore, the possible
solutions vary according to the area and its specificities.

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Figure 1: Old Urgeiria Mine (uranium and radium) and urban surroundings, central region of
Portugal; old Rosmaneira Mine (uranium and radium) and forest and local agricultural activity
surroundings, central region of Portugal

Figure 2: On-shore geology, main metallogenetic belts of Portugal, and 175 old mines
scheduled for environmental rehabilitation and remediation work
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For these reasons, EDM had to promote the development of different types of passive treatment
systems. Different specificities result in variations in the design projects and effective needs related to
fieldwork for environmental control. The hydrogeochemistry of the water to be treated is, of course, the
main concern, but differences in climate and vegetation conditions, morphology, and available space are
examples of technical aspects that must be weighed in passive treatment design projects (see Figure 3).
We must consider all existent experience regarding passive mine treatment, but we cannot simply apply
the main technical aspects based on typical engineering rules.

Figure 3: Examples of passive mine treatment systems for water with distinct hydrochemistry
compositions in different environments and climate conditions
EDMs strategy for water treatment of former uranium and radium mines in
central Portugal
Mine effluent treatment improvements for old uranium and radium mines began 12 years ago and are
presently showing very positive results with evident cost/environmental benefits. The first stage of the
strategy is to flood underground works, creating acid mine reductions and natural attenuation effects.
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The second stage, when possible, is to stop infiltration of unground works with an adequate covering
system at the surface (Figure 4 and Figure 5). These two steps create the possibility to implement a more
efficient passive treatment system because they cause positive changes in the hydrochemical composition
of the water to be treated (Figure 6 and Figure 7) and make it possible to achieve a flux reduction of
effluent to be treated.

Figure 4: Results for sulfate, manganese, and Radium-226 in mine water at Cunha Baixa, an
old uranium mine, during the stage of underground flooding, and work preparation for the
passive system for Cunha Baixa Mines effluent treatment

Figure 5: Piezometric stabilization of water in underground works and design for an adequate
covering system to stop infiltration to underground works from the surface
(N.H.: hydrodynamic level; N.E.: static level)
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Figure 6: Evolution of sulfate concentration in mine water at three old uranium mines
(Urgeiria, Bica, and Cunha Baixa) after the flooding process
and subsequent natural attenuation

Figure 7: Evolution of some chemical parameters of mine water at Bica and Urgeiria after the
flooding process and subsequent natural attenuation
In cases like these, with underground works that need to be flooded, it is always necessary to have
an effective and phased monitoring system of the surrounding conditions for groundwater. We must also
be prepared for hydrogeochemical changes in mine effluent, which needs to be treated daily (Figure 6
and Figure 7). This is an essential aspect because it is directly related to determining the ideal stage at
which to start developing the engineering design of a more appropriate passive treatment system, for
which we need input data like flows to be treated in future and their hydrochemical composition.
Changes will probably also occur regarding the locales selected for groundwater monitoring related
to the underground flooding process.
One particular and interesting aspect may apply when we are dealing with groundwater in massive
fractured rocks. Things may naturally change very suddenly because of the heterogeneity of the rock
Bica Evolution of radium (mB/l), total uranium (p.p.b.), and pH
with flooding
Urgeiria Evolution of radium (mB/l)
with flooding
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media according to geological conditionslike lithology, weathering, and fracture frameworkand
subsequent differences in hydraulic and hydrochemical conditions. Figure 8 shows an example of an old
uranium mineQuinta do Bispoan open pit at which the lithology is essentially Hercynian granites
and Schist-Greywacke Complex metasediment rocks with high heterogeneity exhibiting several
weathering levels and fracturing intensities. Typical transmissibility values vary with lithology,
weathering conditions, and fracture, from minimums of 0.01 square meters/day to extreme maximums
of 400 to 500 square meters/day in the surroundings of this old uranium mine.
The possibility of such diversity and heterogeneity must not be forgotten when we are preparing a
monitoring plan like those developed for flooded uranium old mines.


Figure 8: Transmissibility results (in square meters/day) of directional pumping
tests realized at a unique mine site (location shown at left)
Figure 9 shows, as an example, the monitoring plan for the initial flooding phase at the old Urgeiria
Mine and urban site. More than 300 water points were selected in the initial stage. These monitoring
points were drastically reduced during the flooding process (Figure 10), but these are sufficient for
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Resultados dos
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Resultados dos
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understanding what is happening in the area in terms of remediation actions and interventions developed
at the site since 2002.
Figure 9: Monitoring plan for the initial flooding phase at the old Urgeiria Mine and urban
site. More than 300 water points were selected at the initial stage.
Urgeiria vein is in yellow; main old mining areas are delimited in red

After achieving a more stabilized situation for the flooding process and the hydrochemical
composition of the mine water to be treated, EDM begins to implement passive mine treatments to
replace the more costly traditional active treatment of mine effluents with lime.
Subsequently, innovative passive systems have been constructed considering local conditions,
adsorption, and co-precipitation processes and the usage of specific geomaterials for water filtration
(Figure 12).
Improving energy efficiency, evaluating the biomineralization contribution to water treatment
processes, and assessing the possibilities for use of new generation materials are, undoubtedly, the
next step to improve these mine water treatment processes.

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Figure 10: Monitoring plan for the final flooding phase at Urgeiria site.
The number of water points selected has been drastically reduced, but these are sufficient for
understanding what is happening in the area in terms of remediation actions and
interventions developed at the site since 2002. Urgeiria vein is in yellow; red lines represent
main faults and important fracture areas

Figure 11: Radium (Bql/) and iron (m/l) results from the passive
mine water treatment system at Urgeiria
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Figure 12: Details of passive mine treatment of Urgeiria Mine
(radium and uranium; co-precipitation, co-adsorption, fito-filtration)
Mine wastes: Confinement or environmental control?
Mining wastes that need to be treated also present their own local specificities, including, for instance,
situations with high radiological activity related to uranium and radium exploitation activities in the
central region, or the presence of very high pyrite content with strong generation of acid mine drainage,
as in some areas located in the Alentejo region, in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (Figure 13).
Acid mine drainage generation, physical stability, and landscape and heritage are of relevant
concern when developing environmental rehabilitation and remediation works. Some of these sites have
their own interests in terms of scientific and archaeo-industrial aspects that need to be weighed when
considering the adopted solution for waste control and treatment processes. Should we simply bury and
seal all the contaminated areas and dangerous wastes, or should we create opportunities for present and
future generations, using appropriate engineering design and knowledge to promote the construction of
controlled sites with possible post-closure educational, scientific, and/or cultural land uses? (See Figure
14 and Figure 15.)
One example in which there were no doubts regarding the best type of intervention and
environmental solution was the case of the old Urgeiria tailings dam. This old dam is located close to
the village of Urgeiria, and a national road passes right beside it (Figure 16). The materials resulting
from decades of radium and uranium exploitation activity (since 1913) have high contents of different
radionuclides of the uraium-238 chain, which results in high levels of activity, essentially from gamma-
ray radiation. The chosen solution was to reshape stabilized slopes, install peripheral surficial and sub-
surficial drains, and cover the entire dam with a multi-later system composed of clay and a HPED liner.
The results of radon monitoring stations installed in the dam at different depths show radon exhalation
of between 2 and 10% depending on the layer.
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Figure 13: Different types of waste treated according to the plan
of environmental rehabilitation and remediation works

Figure 14: Archaeo-industrial landscape, Lousal Mine (massive sulfide deposit)
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Figure 15: Treatment processing plant for yellow cake production,
present reclamation stage (Urgeiria Mine)


Figure 16: Above: Old tailings dam at Urgeiria; environmental works (colocation of
multi-layer system); below: the dam before and after environmental work fields
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Figure 17: Radon monitoring stations installed in the old Urgeiria dam
at different depths and their results
Conclusions
To address the diversity of old Portuguese mine sites, a specific plan for environmental rehabilitation
and remediation works had to be implemented for 175 former mines and pursued using a specific
strategy. Implementation of this strategy results in adequate training of the involved staff with a wide
general scope over a huge set of problems and constraints resulting from the starting situation.
Without this strategy it would be difficult, especially in the initial years, for design contractors to
perform their work correctly, considering the specificity and the scope of the old mining areas and the
works to be developed. The problems to be solved must be perceived correctly, and careful selection of
appropriate design guidelines and methods to achieve the intended goals for each case is required to
ensure better cost/benefit ratios.
This plan is ongoing and has already been used as a reference in the EU context.