Abstract:
Solid mine waste management is a continuous and systematic assessment of the potential
hazards, disposal, and proper utilization of waste produced in a mining company during the
mining and mineral processing stages. In the mining industry, solid mine waste is generated at
every stage of operation and must be disposed of properly. There is a need to understand the
solid mine waste composition in depth and know the extents they cover at a mine. Solid mine
wastes can affect the environment through their intrinsic properties. Therefore, proper
assessment of these solid wastes is essential in waste management. This study was done at
Samruddha Resources Limited Iron Ore Mines in Taita Taveta County, Kenya. The main
objective of this research was to map and determine the environmental pollutants in the solid
mine waste produced during iron ore mining and processing. This was achieved by utilizing
geochemistry, mineralogy, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and Remote Sensing
techniques. Geochemistry and mineralogy of the solid mine wastes were determined by X-ray
Fluorescence (XRF), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Petrographic Analysis. The extent and the
volumes of the solid mine waste were mapped using GIS and Remote Sensing techniques
utilizing the surface volume differencing method and Maximum Likelihood Classification
(MLC) at an accuracy of 74%. XRD studies revealed Magnetite 𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹3 𝑂𝑂4 and Hematite 𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹2 𝑂𝑂3
were highest at 29% and 21%, respectively, with subordinate amounts of Quarts and Calcite
in stockpile samples. Quartz concentration was high (43%) in waste dump samples and
Berlinite (33%) and Quartz (31%) in high concentrations in the overburden samples. XRF
studies indicated high amounts of iron in the stockpile (80%) and waste dump (36%). Silica
was in excess of (41%). Potentially toxic elements such as Zinc, Lead, Chromium, Titanium,
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Manganese, and Copper were in considerable amounts in all the samples. Petrography analysis
results indicated the major minerals in the solid mine wastes to be magnetite, hematite, and
quartz with traces of mica, feldspar, and biotite and intrusions of pyro garnets and olivine. The
minerals are characterized by a lamellar structure with grains boundaries between individuals
being mutual. It was observed that the solid mine wastes covered an estimated total area of
591,100 𝑀𝑀 2with a volume of 523,237.11 𝑀𝑀 3 . This research pointed out pollutants in the solid
mine wastes and the unregulated dumping of solid mine wastes. Therefore, proper solid mine
waste management can be improved by improving mining and processing methods to mitigate
waste and subsequently exploit the value of these wastes
