Acid Mine Drainage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Acid Mine Drainage - Essay Example In such it discusses all the possible avenues with which AMD can emerge and gives in depth analysis with regard to the chemical composition, reaction and eventual production of the AMD. This paper also strives to give in summary different sources of the AMD and the appropriate remedies that can be put into practice to quench the lethal problems associated with AMD. In the same breadth, it discusses the health related problems associated with AMD as well as those of ecological. This paper can be of meaningful help to those who work in the mines and risk contracting the problems linked with the site. When the precautionary measures that are discussed in this paper are stringently followed by the concerned individuals with the appropriate technology and man power, there is no doubt the problem of the AMD will be a thing of the past. 2.0 Introduction Acid mines drainage (AMD) is one of the major environmental threats that comes as a result of extraction of minerals for economic purposes. If these mines are not properly managed, then the exercise of extraction results into a serious environmental menace. Essentially acid mines drainage is a peculiar kind of a wastewater that that results from the continuous processes of weathering as well as leaching of coal and metalliferrous compounds that contain sulphur as an element in them. The various activities of mining for example, strip and underground mining exposes the sulfide (pyrite) and other metallic compounds that incorporate sulphur to a level of oxidation given the availability of oxygen and water. The oxidation process will increase the acidity level i.e. low P.H value, as the value of the P.H decreases, the oxidation process of the metals equally increases increases and this significantly reduces the water quality and culminate into water pollution (Drever 133). The formatio n of the acid mines drainage process can also be facilitated by through biological processes. The microorganism thiobaccillus ferroxidants is an acid tolerant microbe and is known to be associated with acid mines drainage sites as it enhances the oxidation of the compounds that contain sulphur compounds (Drever 147). . The resultant water in the acid mines drainages are very hazardous to health, in that the acidity and the components of water from the mines contain lethal chemicals. As stated above, without the buffering processes of the process, the acidity level will exponentially increase accelerating weathering process and subsequent development and continuation of the acid mines drainages (Drever 151). 3.0 Origin of Acid Mine Drainage Several factors can bring about development of the acid mines drainages, coming into contact between the surface water (oxygenated) with the pyritic ores is one of the ways that largely contribute to the formation of the acid mines drainage. This interaction takes place in three different ways; when the mining processes change the direction of flow of the water pattern to areas endowed with rocks that have been in constant touch with the ground water that is anoxically stagnant (Berner and Berner 98). The other possibility is when the spoils form the pyritic mining is disposed in an area of percolating oxygenated water, and when the pyritic minerals waste materials are directly discharged into the aquatic environment. 4.0 Results The formation of the acid mines drainages results into several environmental degradative processes that are vey detrimental to the survival biological life, in such, measures are always put into place as precautionary obligation to ensure

Case studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case studies - Essay Example (Education, 2009) In Truth v. Kent School District, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that Washington's Kentridge High School did not violate the First Amendment rights of Truth, a Christian student group, by repeatedly denying the group's applications for official recognition. The school denied Truth's application because the group asked all voting members and officers to sign a "statement of faith" that the school contends violates nondiscrimination policies. By finding that the school had not violated Truth's First Amendment right to freedom of association, the Ninth Circuit directly contradicted Supreme Court precedent granting groups the right to choose their membership based on shared beliefs. The Ninth Circuit's holding in Truth directly conflicts with Legal Society v. Walker, in which the Seventh Circuit found that a public law school's refusal to recognize a Christian student group because of the group's membership requirements violated the group's First Amendment right to freedom of e xpressive association. FIRE's brief asks the Supreme Court to reconcile this split between the circuits. Boy Scouts held that the Scouts could exclude scoutmasters who were openly engaged in homosexual behavior and Rosenberger held that religious student organizations were entitled to viewpoint-neutral access to student-fee funds. Seemingly however, they rest on a backdrop of other cases, most importantly Healy v. James which reversed a university's decision to deny recognition to Students for a Democratic Society) and Widmar v. Vincent which held that universities had to provide religious student organizations with equal access to university benefits. The Healy court held that there was a free-association interest in student-organization recognition: "There can be no doubt that denial of official recognition, without justification, to college organizations burdens or abridges that associational right." On a university campus, recognition goes hand in hand with existence. If you are not recognized by the university, you have guaranteed marginalization. There is a tremendous qualifier w ith respect to on campus and off campus activities. The Supreme Court has clearly established the following: "Student organizations have a free-association right in recognition; religious student organizations have a right to access university facilities; and religious student organizations have a right to access student-activity-fee funds." (French, 2009) The problem exists, with respect to the qualifier and the question remains as to whether the qualifier comes first or whether the constitutional right takes precedence. B. Problem 16* Midstate University is a large state university. In the last few years, several student organizations have been established at the university that focus, in whole or in part, on religious values, religious worship, and religious evangelism. The New Light Fellowship, a student group affiliated with an outside religious organization, has been active on campus for two years. It is recognized by the Student Government Association, and thus receives funding from mandatory student fees and is allowed to hold