Rachid Hakkou, Mostafa Benzaazoua
The Kettara site (Morocco) is an abandoned pyrrhotite ore mine in a semi-arid environment, containing over 3 million tons of mine waste deposited without environmental considerations. This study aimed to characterize the mine waste and secondary precipitates via geochemical and mineralogical techniques, focusing on acid mine drainage (AMD) produced over more than 24 years. The findings revealed that the waste contains 1.6–14.5 wt% sulfide minerals (including pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite), with gangue minerals such as goethite, quartz, chlorite-serpentine, talc, muscovite, and albite further detected. Heavy metal presence was significant, with Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, Co, As, Cd, and Ni being the most abundant. Acid–base accounting static tests indicated low neutralizing potential (0–9 kg CaCO3) alongside high acid-producing potential (51–453 kg CaCO3/t). Secondary minerals like halotrichite, goethite, and jarosite were prevalent, and hardpans found in fine tailings could mitigate sulfide reactivity by preventing water infiltration. Mineralogical assessments showed alteration in tailings pond depth was limited to 5–15 cm.
@article{eb546320-ba06-4ccb-a948-0bb84efd3bd0,
title={Acid Mine Drainage at the Abandoned Kett},
author={Rachid Hakkou and Mostafa Benzaazoua},
year={2026},
language={en}
}TY - JOUR TI - Acid Mine Drainage at the Abandoned Kett AU - Rachid Hakkou AU - Mostafa Benzaazoua PY - 2026 LA - en ER -
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