A combined kinetic and diffusion model for pyrite oxidation in tailings - a change in controls with time

Acidic drainage from the oxidation of mine tailing wastes is an important environmental problem. The purpose of this paper is to develop a model (1) to simulate the rate of oxidation of pyrite over time, (2) to verify the importance of chemical kinetic control and diffusion control on the oxidation rate with time and, (3) to evaluate the sensitivity of the model to critical parameters of the tailings, such as grain size, pyrite content and the effective diffusion coefficient. The source code comprises four main modules including parameter allocation (kinetics, transport), sulphide oxidation (shrinking particle), oxygen transport and pyrite mass balance. The results show that high oxidation rates are observed in the initial time after tailings deposition. During this initial period of high rates, an apparent shift occurs from kinetic to diffusional control over a period of time that depends on the composition and properties of the tailings. Based on the simulation results, it is evident that the overall rate of oxidation after a few years will be controlled dominantly by the diffusion of oxygen rather than by biological or non-biological kinetics in the tailings