Abstract
During the last decade there has been a dramatic worldwide increase in the quantities of mineral wastes produced by the metalliferous mining industry. This has resulted from a combination of social, economic and technological factors, in particular the ever-increasing requirement for metalliferous minerals and the ability of modern mining and processing methods to economically exploit ore deposits containing very low concentrations of valuable metals. Extraction of low-grade orebodies including as little as 0–2% w/w of recoverable metal inevitably generates large amounts of waste which are commonly discarded in land-based impoundments or tips, and may cover several square kilometres from a single mining venture.
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Williamson, A., Johnson, M.S. (1981). Reclamation of Metalliferous Mine Wastes. In: Lepp, N.W. (eds) Effect of Heavy Metal Pollution on Plants. Pollution Monitoring Series, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8099-0_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8099-0_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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