The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and the International Network for Acid Prevention (INAP) have launched a new resource to help mining companies prevent and reduce water pollution caused by acid rock drainage (ARD) and metal leaching (ML) from mines. This tool aims to safeguard water quality while reducing long-term remediation costs, supporting more sustainable practices across the industry.
The two parties involved have released a ‘Tool for Acid Rock Drainage and Metal Leaching Prevention and Management.’ This comprehensive guide provides a framework to improve how mining companies manage materials throughout the mining lifecycle – from exploration through to post-closure – as they work to prevent the release of highly acidic or metal-rich water from the process.
Mining companies know acid rock drainage and metal leaching are natural processes occurring when sulphide minerals in rocks encounter air and water. This reaction produces sulfuric acid. Mining experts say that not managing certain waste material on mine sites well can lead the creation of highly acidic water that leaches metals from rock in the surrounding area.
This waste material contains sulphide minerals that can accelerate natural chemical processes. The prevention and management of the impacts of ARD and ML requires informed, site-level planning from the earliest stages of a mine's operation through to its closure.
Designed to complement INAP’s highly regarded Global Acid Rock Drainage (GARD) Guide, the new tool makes its technical content more accessible to non-specialist audiences working both at operational mine sites and at a corporate level. An additional Excel-based function allows users to quickly navigate and filter through a large volume of technical information, delivering relevant outputs on a single page tailored to specific lifecycle stages and practice areas.
Dr Emma Gagen, the director of environment at ICMM, said,“Water is a precious shared resource with immense environmental, social, cultural, and economic value. As demand for transition minerals and metals grows, our industry must prioritize robust measures, at the earliest stages of planning, to prevent water contamination and land degradation. This is an urgent challenge that requires a proactive approach.”
Gagen added, “We hope that ICMM and INAP’s new tool will accelerate progress in preventing and managing ARD and ML. By improving integration of practices and decision-making at both corporate and site levels, it can help ensure greater accountability and more effective long-term management across the industry.”
INAP’s vision is to drive leading practice in acid and metalliferous drainage risk management, so that mining companies can operate sustainably in their respective environments across the life of asset cycle, according to Dr. Paul Brown, INAP’s board chair.
ICMM has a long-standing commitment to water stewardship. In 2017, ICMM published its Water Stewardship Position Statement, which requires members to implement strong water governance, manage water at operations efficiently, and collaborate with stakeholders at a catchment-level to achieve responsible and sustainable water use.
This latest resource builds on ICMM’s collaborative efforts to address water stewardship challenges across the mining and metals industry, including the publication of the Water Reporting Good Practice Guide (2021) and the Water Stewardship Maturity Framework (2023).
ICMM brings together member companies to produce minerals and metals in a sustainable way. INAP was created in 1998 to help meet the challenge of acid and metalliferous drainage. This industry-led organization fills the need for an international body to mobilise data, information, experience, and resources to manage sulphide mine waste and prevent AMD.
More information is posted on www.Icmm.com and www.Inap.com.au.
Comments