Based on an interview with Jacques Wiertz, Revista Minera Chilena, a specialized trade publication for the mining industry, gives an extensive account of the pyrite micro-encapsulation project’s contribution to preventing acid mine drainage.
The July 2024 edition of Revista Minera Chilena discusses the project “Pyrite Micro-encapsulation to Prevent Acid Mine Drainage,” developed by SMI-ICE-Chile’s Environmental Rehabilitation and Ecosystem Dynamics team in the article: “University Projects Drive Mining Innovation.” Jacques Wiertz, a senior researcher at SMI-ICE-Chile, was interviewed about the importance of collaboration between science and industry to develop more sustainable mining practices.
The report cites the example of developing a micro-encapsulation technology to prevent acid rock drainage (ARD) by passivating exposed sulfides on the surface of these structures, which was led by the Environmental Rehabilitation and Ecosystem Dynamics team. “Specifically, the aim is to generate an inert barrier around the sulfides that prevents them from reacting with oxygen and water,” explains Jacques Wiertz. “For this, a low-cost chemical solution can be applied to tailings material, waste dumps, leaching piles, mine walls and tunnels.”
