BACKGROUND

1.0 INTRODUCTION TO ACID DRAINAGE

Acid drainage is preventable if management is geared to precise determination of acid generation associated with acid sulfate soil and sulfide bearing rock material prior to their exposure to oxidation.

Acid drainage results from the oxidation of sulfide bearing rocks, soils and sediment when exposed to air and water. Acid drainage can mobilise toxic concentrations of iron, aluminium and other metals that can cause serious environmental harm and degradation to the receiving environment

When acid in the soil washes out into the natural waterways it kills fish and other aquatic organisms and severely degrades the environment.

This is a global phenomenon and a problem confronting authorities and practitioners the world over. Billions of dollars are spent annually by the mining, land development and agricultural industries on the management and remediation of acid drainage.