Search

Acid mine drainage (AMD) has a profound and detrimental impact on the environment largely due to its notable acidity and the presence of elevated concentrations of heavy metal ions. To achieve the sustainable remediation, it is crucial to comprehensively understand the mechanism of formation and associated hazards about AMD, as well as the advantages and drawbacks of diverse treatment techniques. This paper presented an objective interpretation about the entire process of AMD, from formation to hazards, using a distinct perspective. The ‘source-process-end’ trinity-pollution process of AMD was introduced. The treatment technologies were comprehensively examined at each stage of the process from three aspects, including source prevention, process control, and end recovery. Finally, the summary and analysis demonstrated that a singular treatment method was inadequate to completely remediate AMD while ensuring both economic efficiency and sustainability. The proposed solution was the ‘source prevention, process control, end recovery’ trinity-comprehensive treatment technology, which was both the most promising and sustainable. These findings offer novel insights and serve as a reference for the future research and remediation endeavors focused on AMD.