Influence of the chemical and mineralogical composition on the acidity of an abandoned copper mine in the Bor river valley (eastern Serbia)

Since the end of operations in 1987, the flotation tailing pond in the area of the former Bor River valley has been left without any type of remediation, leading to a great environmental impact on the wider surrounding area. Because the relative abundance of minerals is critical in determining the quality of the water draining from such materials, research to define the influence of the chemical and mineralogical characteristics on the acidity of the Bor flotation tailing was performed. With this aim in mind, core sampling from eight, 20-m deep drilling holes was undertaken, followed by mineralogical analysis of the composites from each drilling hole and chemical analysis of the composites of the holes and samples taken every 5 m. In addition, the tailing acidity was measured on samples from all drilling holes taken every 1 m from the surface to the base of the tailing using distilled water and 1 M KCl. The average tailing acidity was very high, with a pH value between 2.2 and 4.0 along the depth of the holes, indicating that pyrite, as the dominant sulphide mineral, was oxidised even in the deepest layers of flotation tailing.