اقتصاد بازسازي باطله هاي معدني

Economics of Mine Waste Reclamation

The damage caused to the environment by the by -products of the mining industry has been the subject of much attention in the developed world. In this paper, attempts have been made to introduce practical and economical methods for reclamation and rehabilitation of the mining waste. We begin by explaining the relationships between the mining industry and the sun-ounding environment. The nature of the damage caused to air, water and soil is discussed. Land reclamation is then discussed and data regarding physical and chemical characteristics of the mining waste is explained. Amongst different methods for stabilization of the waste, revegetation has been adopted for further analysis. Revegetation has then been subject to economic feasi bility study and the internal rate of return and the net present value for typical project in Iran is calculated. It is concluded that conversion of mining waste to forests is an economically feasible project. Such project. with an internal rate of return of 26.5% compares favourably with most other projects undertaken by the government of Iran.