Acid mine/rock drainage (AMD/ARD), effluents with low pH and high concentrations of
hazardous and toxic elements generated when sulfide-rich wastes are exposed to the
environment, is considered as a serious environmental problem encountered by the mining
and mineral processing industries around the world. Remediation options like neutralization,
adsorption, ion exchange, membrane technology, biological mediation, and electrochemical
approach have been developed to reduce the negative environmental impacts of AMD on
ecological systems and human health. However, these techniques require the continuous
supply of chemicals and energy, expensive maintenance and labor cost, and long-term
monitoring of affected ecosystems until AMD generation stops. Unfortunately, the formation
of AMD could persist for hundreds or even thousands of years, so these approaches
are both costly and unsustainable. Recently, two alternative strategies for the management
of AMD and mine tailings are gaining much attention: (1) prevention techniques, and
(2) mine waste recycling. In this review, recent advances in AMD prevention techniques
like oxygen barriers, utilization of bactericides, co-disposal and blending, and passivation
of sulfide minerals are discussed. In addition, recycling of mine tailings as construction
and geopolymer materials to reduce the amounts of wastes for disposal are introduced.