Utilizing Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Sludge as a Reclamation Plan

This presentation will focus on the use of acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge in a reclamation plan. Participants will learn about the potential of utilizing AMD sludge in soil mixtures.

Full Abstract: Treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD) results in a hydroxide sludge that must be managed. There are three most common types of sludge disposal methods: 1) disposal into a deep mine, 2) retention ponds, and 3) burial onsite. The cost associated with AMD sludge disposal is high, and there needs to be a reclamation plan used to help reduce the cost. The objective of this research was to evaluate the use of AMD sludge, a waste by-product, as a soil amendment to support vegetation establishment and persistence. Fifteen study plots (three repetitions of five treatments) were created in Monongalia County, West Virginia. The treatments included topsoil mixed with AMD sludge in volumetric ratios: 1) 25% AMD sludge/75% topsoil (25AMD), 2) 50% AMD sludge/50% topsoil (50AMD), 3) 75% AMD sludge/25% topsoil (75AMD), 4) 100% AMD sludge (100AMD), and 5) 100% topsoil (Topsoil, control). Ground cover, soil moisture, soil electrical conductivity, and soil temperature were monitored for each plot from May 25, 2023, to October 23, 2023. At the end of the data collection phase, soil and above-ground biomass samples were collected from each plot. Statistical analysis for all measurements, and final measurements were conducted using R-Studio and compared. Major results suggest that mean ground cover for the AMD treatment was significantly less than all other treatments when considering only final ground cover and was significantly less than all other treatments when considering the full study duration; mean soil moisture for the AMD treatment was significantly greater than all other treatments when considering the full duration of the study.