| Abstract: | ABSTRACT: The ability of batch-extraction experiments to predict postmining ground water quality was evaluated. As a basis for evaluation, mineralogical and water quality data were used to identify the geochemical reactions that controlled the major-ion chemistry in batch-extraction experiments. The experiments used water and spoil material collected from a surface-coal mine in the Powder River basin of northeast Wyoming. The batch-extraction experiments consisted of a 2:1 solid:liquid ratio of ground water and spoil material (by weight). The chemical composition of the resulting batch-extracts was determined after a contact time of 24 hours. Thermodynamically-favorable reactions included calcite precipitation, gypsum dissolution, and formation of kaolinite as a result of orthoclase feldspar hydrolysis. Three reaction models were consistent with the therinodynanuc and mineralogic data. In general, the extracts had smaller major-ion concentrations than did the water samples collected from the spoil aquifer. Correction ratios were calculated from these experiments and could be used in combination with additional batch-extractions at existing or future lease areas to predict the quality of the ground water after mining. |
