Bruno Bussière

Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue · Research Institute of Mining and Environment (IRME)

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes (GM) are used in mine site reclamation cover systems to limit water and oxygen ingress into sulphide tailings or waste rocks, thereby reducing acid mine drainage generation. The objective of this paper is to assess the actual properties of small-scale GMs after 20 years of service in the cover system of...

On mine waste rock slopes, trees with inadequate root development could be prone to uprooting. The anchorage of trees is mainly determined by the architecture of the root systems that drive their mechanical interactions with the soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil quality and of different planting materials on the...

Filtered tailings gain popularity in the mining industry to reduce the risks associated with the physical stability of tailings storage facilities, especially for mine sites located in arctic regions. However, filtered tailings storage facilities can be heterogeneous and ground deformation can occur over time. Thus, it is imperative to gain knowled...

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes (GMs) are frequently used as fluid barrier components of cover systems for mine site reclamation in regions that are prone to freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs). However, HDPE GMs are more susceptible to stress cracking than linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) GMs. Hence, LLDPE GMs are increasingly considere...

Climate change (CC) has already and will continue to have a significant impact on the mining sector. A comprehensive and thorough analysis was performed to evaluate the risks and vulnerabilities resulting from CC during the exploration, operation, and reclamation phases of the mining life cycle. This analysis focused on six mining regions in Québec...

Large quantities of waste rocks are removed during ore extraction particularly in open pit mining and stored at the surface in piles. When these materials contain reactive minerals and are exposed to surface environmental conditions, they can generate contaminated mine drainage. A new approach of construction of waste rock piles using inclined comp...

Many cover systems used to reclaim tailings storage facilities in continuous permafrost regions rely on controlling the temperature of the tailings to limit acid mine drainage generation. As a result, understanding the thermal behavior of tailings storage facilities and the main factors of influence must be assessed to ensure optimal waste manageme...

Insulation covers for mine site reclamation take advantage of the cold climate of arctic regions to maintain mine wastes perennially frozen and below a target temperature in order to limit acid mine drainage generation. This study investigates the thermal behavior of an insulation cover using a field experimental cell built in 2012 at Raglan Mine (...

Tailing Storage Facilities (TSF) are large structures used to store uneconomic mineral. They are generally reclaimed after mine operations with engineered covers that limit the flow of water or oxygen to prevent tailings oxidation. One of the most promising reclamation approaches is to build multilayer Covers with Capillary Barrier Effects (CCBEs),...

One of the main environmental risks related to the surface storage of reactive mine tailings is acid mine drainage (AMD). AMD generation is often managed by limiting oxygen access to the reactive tailings. To do so, engineered cover systems such as covers with a capillary barrier effect (CCBEs) can be used. Over time, plants may colonize CCBE mater...

In order to reduce contaminant mass loadings, thermal cover systems may be incorporated in the design of waste rock piles located in regions of continuous permafrost. In this study, reactive transport modeling was used to improve the understanding of coupled thermo-hydrological and chemical processes controlling the evolution of a covered waste roc...

In the mining industry, the extraction of waste rocks (WR), without economic value, is needed to access ore deposits. The amount of WR are very large in the case of open pit mines. They are usually stored at the surface in waste rock piles. The presence of reactive minerals such as sulphides in waste rock can lead to the contamination of drainage w...

Acid mine tailings may affect several environmental matrices. Here, we aimed to stabilize acid-generated mine tailings using several alkaline and cementitious amendments, which were tested in columns for 361 days. The alkaline amendments consisted of 10 and 20 wt.% limestone, while the cementitious amendments consisted of different binders at a tot...

https://depositum.uqat.ca/id/eprint/1399/

It is essential to develop effective mine waste management approaches and mine site reclamation techniques to curtail the adverse effects of mining processes on the natural environment. This study focuses on the use of partially desulphurized tailings as a moisture-retaining layer in an insulation cover with capillary barrier effects (ICCBE). Taili...

The development of a cover for inclined acid-generating areas, such as the external face of dykes and the slope of waste rock piles, is undoubtedly one of the biggest technical reclamation challenges at several mine sites. The LaRonde mine site, owned and operated by Agnico Eagle Mines (Quebec, Canada) is currently engaged to identify an optimal re...

The design and construction of a waste rock pile influences water infiltration and may promote the production of contaminated mine drainage. The objective of this project is to evaluate the use of an active fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (aFO‐DTS) protocol to measure infiltration and soil moisture within a flow control layer capping an...

Tailing storage facilities (TSF) are large structures used to store uneconomic mineral. They are generally reclaimed after mine operations with engineered covers that limit the flow of water or oxygen in order to prevent tailings oxidation. One of the most promising reclamation approaches is to build multilayer covers with capillary barrier effects...

The hydrogeochemical behavior of highly reactive tailings with no or very low neutralizing capacity and their hydrogeochemical response when covered by a cover with capillary barrier effects (CCBE) were evaluated in laboratory columns. The hydrogeochemical response of highly reactive tailings under wetting-drying cycles and saturated conditions was...

Tailings with sulphide minerals exposed to oxygen and water can oxidize and produce acid mine drainage (AMD). This study evaluated the impact of natural conditions and of a thin cover deposition on the water table level, for selecting the reclamation technique to control AMD on the elevated portion of an abandoned tailings impoundment. The reactive...

Acid mine drainage is an important environmental risk linked to the surface storage of reactive mine tailings. To manage this problem, a cover with a capillary barrier effect (CCBE) can be used. This oxygen barrier cover relies on maintaining a fine-grained material layer (moisture-retaining layer, MRL) with a high degree of saturation. CCBEs can b...

Climate change will cause a significant increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme precipitation events in Quebec (Canada), and especially in the Abitibi region, an important mining region. Projections indicate an average increase of the intensity of the summer Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) between 18 and 30% by 2100. Greater PMP cou...

Improved design to reduce contaminant mass loadings from waste rock piles is an increasingly important consideration. In certain cases, an engineered cover system containing a flow control layer (FCL) may be used to mitigate the release of metals out of a pile using capillary barrier effects (CBEs), diverting water away from reactive materials belo...

Engineered covers are commonly used to control the potential environmental problems related to acid mine drainage and contaminated seepage from tailings and waste rock storage facilities. Cyclical environmental weathering processes, such as freeze-thaw and wet-dry cycles, can cause rock degradation. However, these processes are usually not explicit...

Insulation covers can be used for the reclamation of tailings storage facilities located in the Arctic. However, this approach can be vulnerable to changes in climatic conditions as its long-term performance is strictly based on controlling the temperature of tailings. A more robust alternative could be the use of insulation covers with capillary b...

The production of solid mine wastes is an integral part of the extraction and metallurgical processing of ores. The reclamation of highly reactive mine waste, with low neutralizing potential, is still a significant challenge for the mining industry, particularly when natural soils are not available close to the site. Some solid mine wastes present...

The possibility of using mine wastes (low-sulfide tailings and waste rocks) as cover components to prevent acid mine drainage (AMD) generation from highly reactive tailings was previously investigated through a laboratory-based characterization of reactive tailings and cover materials (Part 1 of this study). Characterization results showed that the...

Insulation covers are an appealing reclamation approach to control sulfide oxidation in tailings storage facilities located in the Arctic. In this study, the thermal behaviour and effectiveness of insulation covers for the reclamation of the Meadowbank mine’s tailings storage facility were assessed using both laboratory-based tests and field experi...

Open-pit mining generates a large volume of waste rocks (WR) that are deposited as unsaturated piles on the surface. WR are mainly characterised by the high heterogeneity of their hydrogeological, mineralogical and physical proprieties. The main objectives of this study consist of: i) a detailed characterisation of WR from Canadian Malartic mine in...

The use of monolayer covers combined with an elevated water table (EWT) is a promising reclamation method that relies on the low gas-diffusivity of water to limit oxygen ingress into potentially acid-generating tailings. A monolayer cover is installed over the sulfidic material and the water table level is controlled to maintain the tailings close...

Treatment efficiency of iron-rich acid mine drainage (AMD; pH 3, and 2 and 4 g/L Fe) was tested in a laboratory tri-unit pilot-scale reactor (2.65 m3) for 1 year. The first unit consisted of a passive biochemical reactor (PBR1), filled with reactive mixture (50% of manure, sawdust, maple chips, compost, urea, sediment, and sand; 50% of calcite), wi...

Covers with capillary barrier effects (CCBE) are multilayered oxygen barrier covers used in humid climates to reclaim reactive mine tailings and limit the generation of acid mine drainage. Once constructed, CCBEs are colonized by surrounding plants. Roots modify water storage and respire oxygen. The performance of CCBEs could evolve over time due t...

The efficiency of soil covers used as oxygen barriers to control the generation of acid drainage from sulfidic mine wastes can be evaluated in terms of the diffusive oxygen flux reaching the underlying wastes. Oxygen diffusion has been extensively investigated over the last few decades for unsaturated porous materials that are not frozen. However,...

The oxidation of sulfides present in mine tailings may generate acidic leachate and result in the discharge of contaminants such as metals, derived from mine wastes into the environment. For mine sites in regions with a humid climate such as the Doyon-Westwood mine, Abitibi, Quebec, acid mine drainage (AMD) is often inhibited using the low gas diff...

Recent waste rock pile designs have been proposed to incorporate a fine-grained layer to create a capillary barrier to prevent surface water from draining into the pile interior. This study analyses active fibre optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) as a tool to measure the effectiveness a capillary barrier system following an infiltration...

Annual precipitation, temperature, and the frequency and duration of drought events are expected to increase in Québec (Canada) south of the 50th parallel as a result of climate change. Oxygen barriers such as covers with capillary barrier effects (CCBE), which are used to control acid mine drainage (AMD), are sensitive to climate change. Increases...

Acid mine drainage (AMD), which occurs when sulfide minerals are exposed to atmospheric oxygen and water, is one of the most significant environmental challenges in the mining industry. Given that the costs of reclaiming acid-generating wastes can be up to 100 times greater than for those of non-acid-generating wastes, it is critical to accurately...

The performance of a conventional geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) acting as a barrier to fluids responsible for generating acid mine drainage was investigated in the laboratory. To do so, the saturated hydraulic conductivities (ksat), the drying water retention curves, and the effective diffusion coefficients (De) were compared for GCL specimens hydr...

Mine tailings can produce acid mine drainage (AMD) when exposed to water and oxygen. Under humid climates, one of the methods used to control AMD production is the use of an oxygen barrier cover such as a cover with capillary barrier effect (CCBE). CCBEs functioning relies on maintaining a high degree of saturation in one of the cover layers called...

This study investigates the effectiveness of alkaline and cementitious additives in the in situ stabilization of localized acid-generating tailings from a closed gold mine in Abitibi–Témiscamingue, Québec (Eagle/Telbel mine site). Five field cells (including one control) were constructed and equipped with mechanisms for collecting vertical water in...

Core Ideas 3D time‐lapse ERT is used to monitor water infiltration for mining environmental issues. Geoelectrical images provide information where no hydrogeological data is available. Water resistivity must be taken into account to understand bulk resistivity variations. Electrical resistivity of water is used as a tracer to reconstruct water infi...

Xanthate is the most commonly used sulphide collector in the mining industry, however, its toxicological, ecological, and health and safety risks make alternative options increasingly attractive. In this study, two alternative collectors, one a mixture of dithiophosphate and mercaptobenzothiazole (DTP-MBT) and the other a mixture of dithiocarbamate...

Mining activities generate large amounts of waste rocks (solid and liquid) usually stored in waste rock piles and tailing impoundments. These waste rocks could lead to severe environmental issues due to mineral reaction with oxygen and water. Several reclamation cover designs, aiming to prevent acid mine drainage, have been proposed and evaluated b...

Passive treatment of highly contaminated acid mine drainage (AMD) is challenging. Dispersed alkaline substrates (DAS), consisting of fine alkaline and coarse organic materials, seem promising to limit coating and clogging issues. However, their efficiency is still unconfirmed, when used as pre-treatment units, especially for Fe removal in highly co...

Remediation of high Fe and SO4 2− acid mine drainage (AMD) with passive multi-step systems is less prone to clogging, but could show variable efficiency. Hence, four scenarios (MS1 to MS4) of passive multi-step treatment systems were tested. The system (MS3) composed of two pretreatment units of dispersed alkaline substrate reactors and one unit of...

At some orphaned and abandoned mine sites, acid mine drainage can represent a complex challenge due to the advanced tailings’ oxidation state as well as the combination of other factors. At the field scale, several parameters control sulfides’ oxidation rates and, therefore, the acidity generation. The objective of this paper is to map the acidity...

Tailings and waste rocks can be used to build covers with capillary barrier effects (CCBE) for the purposes of reclaiming acid-generating waste storage facilities while enhancing the value of the materials available on site. The efficiency of non-acid generating tailings, desulfurized tailings, and non-reactive waste rocks as cover materials was de...

Open-pit mining operations often produce large amounts of waste rock that are characterized by large particle size distributions (PSD). Waste rock are normally deposited in surface piles that contain grains varying from a few microns to meters in size. Furthermore, the mineralogical and textural properties of the waste rock are influenced by their...

Root development is important to ensure tree survival in conditions of water stress. Despite their long-recognized role, little attention has been given to their development on waste rock slopes subject to rapid drainage. This study was conducted in an open-pit gold mine in a boreal forest. Its main objective was to establish a plantation design wi...

The former Eagle and Telbel mine site (hereafter referred to as Joutel mine), located near the town of Joutel in the Nord-du-Québec (Canada) houses a tailings storage facility (TSF) that has been inactive since 1996. Fresh, unweathered tailings (beneath 10–30 cm of oxidized horizon) are characterized by an average sulfide content of 6–7 wt% and an...

Significant volumes of waste rock are produced in mining operations, particularly in open pit operations. Waste rock is characterized by a high heterogeneity in their mineralogical, hydrogeological, and physical properties, especially in comparison to tailings. The purpose of this study was to develop an improved method to quantify the net acid-gen...

Significant changes in temperature and precipitation are expected in the coming decades across Canada as a result of climate change (CC). South of the 50th parallel, average temperature and precipitation values are already increasing. An increase in the frequency and duration of extreme hot weather events is expected as well as an increase in preci...