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Hydraulic conductivity is often used as a measure to evaluate the effectiveness of a sealing layer material on top of mine waste. However, the most important soil parameter minimizing the oxygen diffusion to the mine waste is the water retention capacity (WRC) of the sealing layer, as a high saturation corresponds to a low oxygen diffusion rate. This study shows that an amendment of Green Liquor Dregs (GLD), an industrial residue, to a till increases its WRC and has therefore potential to be a more accurate method to evaluate the effectiveness of a sealing layer than hydraulic conductivity. Funder: Boliden Mineral AB; Mistra’s program “Closing the loop” (project GLAD)

This report is the outcome of the SIP STRIM project StopOx-Utilization of industrial residuals for prevention of sulfide oxidation in mine waste implemented at Applied geochemistry, Luleå University of Technology running from 2015 to 2018. Boliden Mineral has been partner and co-funder of the project. Other partners in the project were Cementa, Dragon Mining, MEROX, Nordkalk, and SP Processum. The overall aim of the project was to develop prevention technologies to reduce the sulfide oxidation in mine waste, during and after operation, and thereby reduce the generation of acid mine drainage. The StopOx project has been focusing on sulfidic mine waste from the Boliden area which were disposed of and are causing acid mine drainage or have the potential. Industrial residues/products were supplied by BillerudKorsnäs, Cementa, MEROX, and Nordkalk. The report consists of chapters based on three subprojects. Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Inhibition technology with aim to minimize waste rock oxidation during operations by using residues from other industries (passivation of sulfidic surfaces by the formation of secondary minerals) Chapter 3. The suitability of green liquor dregs as substitutes for or additives to till in a sealing layer as part of a cover system Chapter 4. Weathering of waste rock under changing chemical conditions The research described in chapters 2 and 3 was performed by Ph.D. students and will continue until 2021, while the subproject in chapter 2 ended in 2018.

Sul dic mine waste le unattended and in contact with oxygen oxidize and have potential to produce acid rock drainage (ARD). A typical method in Sweden to stop sul de oxidation is to apply a dry cover on top of the mine waste. Using the non-hazardous industrial residue Green Liquor Dregs (GLD) in the cover is useful for the mining industry and the industry providing the residue and a large bene t for the environment. In this study, the e ectiveness of a mixture of till and 10 wt. % of GLD in a dry cover was studied by monitoring temperature, oxygen- and moisture content. e conclusion is that the sealing layer in una ected by frost, the oxygen concentrations are decreasing with time, but not in depth and the sealing layer with GLD-till mixture seem to be nearly saturated. paperChain GLAD - MISTRA Closing the loop

The mining industry produces massive amounts of waste that without treatment and in contact with oxygen can result in acid rock drainage (ARD) and increased leaching of metals. In Sweden, the common way to manage the mine waste after closure is to apply a dry coverage on top of the waste deposition. The access to a suitable cover-material is however limited and can lead to extensive costs for the mining company. This creates a great driving force for alternative solutions, e.g. bentonite amendment to till. However, bentonite production is costly both economically and environmentally due to time- and resource- consuming production. Recycling of industrial residues as a cover material is another option. The recycling is beneficial for many parts, i.e. the industry producing the residue, the mining industry that will use the residue and the society in its strive for zero waste. An industrial residue that has potential to improve the sealing layer qualities of a local till is Green Liquor Dregs (GLD), a residue from pulp production in a paper mill. In this study 5 to 20 wt. % of GLD from two different paper mills, with varying total solid content (TSC) and particle size distributions (PSD), were mixed with three tills also with varying PSD and TSC. The objectives of the study were to investigate if GLD addition can improve a till so it can be used in a sealing layer, how the fines- and clay content in the tills affects the hydraulic conductivity (HC) and the water retention capacity (WRC) of the till-GLD mixtures, and how the initial water content will affect the HC in the different mixtures. The HC of the mixtures based most of the tills studied improved, but not enough to reach the required 10-8 m/s. Only the material based on a more clayey silty till had an HC below 10-8 m/s, even if it increased with the addition of GLD. The WRC, on the other hand, shows promising results, especially for 15 wt. % GLD addition. An increase in WRC is seen the more GLD is added. However, due to compaction difficulties more than 20 wt. % addition is not recommended. There is a difference in both HC and WRC between the mixtures based on the different tills, and a characterization of the till as a bulk material and its mixture with GLD is suggested before using it in mine remediation purposes. The HC of the till is affected by the content of fines and especially clay. The results from the WRC is more complicated and a mineralogical study on the GLD and the clay fraction of the tills is recommended. This study also shows that the initial water content of the materials rather than dry density has an impact on the HC of the mixtures. The initial water content determines the degree wet of optimum that in this and previous studies has shown to greatly affect the HC. A drier till and GLD leads to that more GLD should be added to the mixture when reaching for optimal HC. Even if the study did not result in low enough HC in most of the cases, the WRC shows promising results and is the most important parameter minimizing the oxygen diffusion to the mine waste. The greatest challenge when working with GLD is, however, its heterogeneity which makes it difficult to predict how it will behave in a sealing layer. Even though, the recycling of GLD in mine waste remediation should be strived for as it is beneficial for both the industry that provides the residue and the mining company. It is also a great profit for the environment as it minimizes the waste disposed and reduce use of natural resources.