Technical Resource Document

By Environmental Protection Agency

Book Id: WPLBN0000000493
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 2.80 MB
Reproduction Date: 2007

Title:	Technical Resource Document
Author:	Environmental Protection Agency
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Ecology, Natural resource issues, Environemtal protection
Collections:	Environmental Awareness Library Collection
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	United States Environmental Protection Agency


Citation APA MLA Chicago Protection Agency, B. E. (n.d.). Technical Resource Document. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Description
Excerpt: This Technical Resource Document consists of four sections. The first is EPA's Profile of the copper industry; the remaining sections are Reports from several site visits conducted by EPA. The Profile Section was distributed for review to the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI's) Bureau of Mines and Bureau of Land Management; the States of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah; the American Mining Congress (AMC), and environmental organizations. Summaries of the comments and EPA's responses are presented as Appendix 1-A to the Profile Section. The Site Visit Reports were reviewed by individual company, State, and Federal representatives who participated in the site visit. Comments and EPA responses are included as appendices to the specific Site Visit Section. EPA is grateful to all individuals who took the time to review sections of this Technical Resource Document.

Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DISCLAIMER AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i 1.0 MINING INDUSTRY PROFILE: COPPER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 1.2 ECONOMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INDUSTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 1.3 ORE CHARACTERIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8 1.3.1 Porphyry Copper and Associated Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8 1.3.2 Sedimentary and Metasedimentary Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8 1.3.3 Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9 1.3.4 Veins and Replacement Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9 1.3.5 Ultrabasic and Carbonatite Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9 1.3.6 Mineral Assemblages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9 1.4 COPPER EXTRACTION AND BENEFICIATION PRACTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11 1.4.1 Extraction Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11 1.4.1.1 Typical Mining Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11 1.4.1.2 Surface Mining Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11 1.4.1.3 Underground Mining Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14 1.4.2 Beneficiation Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20 1.4.2.1 Conventional Milling/Flotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20 1.4.2.2 Leach Operations (In Situ, Dump, Heap, and Vat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-42 1.5 WASTES AND OTHER MATERIALS ASSOCIATED WITH COPPER EXTRACTION AND BENEFICIATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-73 1.5.1 Extraction and Beneficiation Wastes and Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-76 1.5.1.1 RCRA Wastes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-77 1.5.1.2 Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-78 1.5.2 Waste and Materials Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-81 1.5.2.1 RCRA Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-81 1.5.2.2 Non-RCRA Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-85 1.6 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-88 1.6.1 Potential Sources of Contamination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-88 1.6.1.1 Mine Dewatering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-88 1.6.1.2 Releases from Active Leach Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-88 1.6.1.3 Releases from Leach Units During and After Closure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-89 1.6.1.4 Releases from Tailings Impoundments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-89 1.6.1.5 Acid Drainage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9