Recoding of AMDTreat Phase 2: Integration of PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality prediction tools with recoded AMDTreat cost-analysis software Active
Newly developed PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality prediction tools indicate potential changes in pH, dissolved metals, and associated solute concentrations resulting from passive and active treatment of coal-mine drainage.
AMDTreat's “user-friendly” caustic titration, parallel reactions, and sequential reactions tools utilize PHREEQC equilibrium (aqueous and surface speciation) and kinetics models with a user interface to facilitate input of initial data and analysis of results. Results include water-quality effects, quantities of reactants consumed, and amount of sludge produced by user-defined treatments. Different treatments can require vastly different land areas, equipment, and costs for construction, operation, and maintenance. With the hypothetical performance and sizing information indicated by PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat tools, the AMDTreat cost-analysis software, which is maintained by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), can be used to evaluate potential feasibility and cost-effectiveness of treatment alternatives.
The objective of the phase II project is to (1) develop detailed documentation for the PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality tools; (2) assist the OSMRE programmers with the integration of the water-quality tools into a new version of the AMDTreat cost-analysis software that is currently being recoded to run on Windows 10 and other platforms; and (3) modify the sequential reactions tool to add sorption and solubility reactions for trace metals and rare-earth elements.
Chuck Cravotta developed the PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat tools over several years. During the past year, he has been providing guidance to OSMRE staff, other professionals, and students who are working with testing of the stand-alone PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat versions that were issued to the public in 2020 by the USGS as a software release.
AMDTreat and PHREEQC applications and documentation
Interactive PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality modeling tools to evaluate performance and design of treatment systems for acid mine drainage
Kinetic study on clogging of a geothermal pumping well triggered by mixing-induced biogeochemical reactions
Radium attenuation and mobilization in stream sediments following oil and gas wastewater disposal in western Pennsylvania
Enhanced Al and Zn removal from coal-mine drainage during rapid oxidation and precipitation of Fe oxides at near-neutral pH
Acid mine drainage
Monitoring, field experiments, and geochemical modeling of Fe(II) oxidation kinetics in a stream dominated by net-alkaline coal-mine drainage, Pennsylvania, USA
Temporal geochemical variations in above- and below-drainage coal mine discharge
AMDTreat 5.0+ with PHREEQC titration module to compute caustic chemical quantity, effluent quality, and sludge volume
Priority pollutants and associated constituents in untreated and treated discharges from coal mining or processing facilities in Pennsylvania, USA
Surface-water and groundwater interactions in an extensively mined watershed, upper Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, USA
Evolution of the chemistry of Fe bearing waters during CO2 degassing
A geochemical module for "AMDTreat" to compute caustic quantity, effluent quantity, and sludge volume
Related Software
PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat
USGS developed, in cooperation with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, “user-friendly” aqueous geochemical modeling tools to simulate changes in water quality during passive and active treatment of acid mine drainage.
PHREEQC Version 3
PHREEQC Version 3 is a computer program for speciation, batch-reaction, one-dimensional transport, and inverse geochemical calculations.
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- Overview
Newly developed PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality prediction tools indicate potential changes in pH, dissolved metals, and associated solute concentrations resulting from passive and active treatment of coal-mine drainage.
AMDTreat's “user-friendly” caustic titration, parallel reactions, and sequential reactions tools utilize PHREEQC equilibrium (aqueous and surface speciation) and kinetics models with a user interface to facilitate input of initial data and analysis of results. Results include water-quality effects, quantities of reactants consumed, and amount of sludge produced by user-defined treatments. Different treatments can require vastly different land areas, equipment, and costs for construction, operation, and maintenance. With the hypothetical performance and sizing information indicated by PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat tools, the AMDTreat cost-analysis software, which is maintained by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), can be used to evaluate potential feasibility and cost-effectiveness of treatment alternatives.
The objective of the phase II project is to (1) develop detailed documentation for the PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality tools; (2) assist the OSMRE programmers with the integration of the water-quality tools into a new version of the AMDTreat cost-analysis software that is currently being recoded to run on Windows 10 and other platforms; and (3) modify the sequential reactions tool to add sorption and solubility reactions for trace metals and rare-earth elements.
Chuck Cravotta developed the PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat tools over several years. During the past year, he has been providing guidance to OSMRE staff, other professionals, and students who are working with testing of the stand-alone PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat versions that were issued to the public in 2020 by the USGS as a software release.
- Publications
AMDTreat and PHREEQC applications and documentation
Filter Total Items: 14Interactive PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality modeling tools to evaluate performance and design of treatment systems for acid mine drainage
The PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat aqueous geochemical modeling tools described herein simulate changes in pH and solute concentrations resulting from passive and active treatment of acidic or alkaline mine drainage (AMD). The “user-friendly” interactive tools, which are publicly available software, utilize PHREEQC equilibrium aqueous and surface speciation models and kinetics models for O2 ingassing and CO2 oAuthorsCharles A. CravottaKinetic study on clogging of a geothermal pumping well triggered by mixing-induced biogeochemical reactions
The sustainability of ground-source geothermal systems can be severely impacted by microbially mediated clogging processes. Biofouling of water wells by hydrous ferric oxide is a widespread problem. Although the mechanisms and critical environmental factors associated with clogging development are widely recognized, effects of mixing processes within the wells and time scales for clogging processeAuthorsLuc Burté, Charles A. Cravotta, Lorine Bethencourt, Julien Farasin, Mathieu Pedrot, Alexis Dufresne, Marie-Françoise Gérard, Catherine Baranger, Tanguy Le Borgne, Luc AquilinaRadium attenuation and mobilization in stream sediments following oil and gas wastewater disposal in western Pennsylvania
Centralized waste treatment facilities (CWTs) in Pennsylvania discharged wastewater from conventional and unconventional oil and gas (O&G) wells into surface waters until 2011, when a voluntary request from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) encouraged recycling rather than treating and discharging unconventional O&G wastewater. To determine the effect of this requestAuthorsKatherine Van Sice, Charles A. Cravotta, Bonnie McDevitt, Travis L. Tasker, Joshua D. Landis, Johnna Puhr, Nathaniel R. WarnerEnhanced Al and Zn removal from coal-mine drainage during rapid oxidation and precipitation of Fe oxides at near-neutral pH
Net-alkaline, anoxic coal-mine drainage containing ∼20 mg/L FeII and ∼0.05 mg/L Al and Zn was subjected to parallel batch experiments: control, aeration (Aer 1 12.6 mL/s; Aer 2 16.8 mL/s; Aer 3 25.0 mL/s), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to test the hypothesis that aeration increases pH, FeII oxidation, hydrous FeIII oxide (HFO) formation, and trace-metal removal through adsorption and coprecipitatioAuthorsJill E. Burrows, Charles A. Cravotta, Stephen C. PetersAcid mine drainage
Acid mine drainage (AMD) consists of metal-laden solutions produced by the oxidative dissolution of iron sulfide minerals exposed to air, moisture, and acidophilic microbes during the mining of coal and metal deposits. The pH of AMD is usually in the range of 2–6, but mine-impacted waters at circumneutral pH (5–8) are also common. Mine drainage usually contains elevated concentrations of sulfate,AuthorsJerry M. Bigham, Charles A. CravottaMonitoring, field experiments, and geochemical modeling of Fe(II) oxidation kinetics in a stream dominated by net-alkaline coal-mine drainage, Pennsylvania, USA
Watershed-scale monitoring, field aeration experiments, and geochemical equilibrium and kinetic modeling were conducted to evaluate interdependent changes in pH, dissolved CO2, O2, and Fe(II) concentrations that typically take place downstream of net-alkaline, circumneutral coal-mine drainage (CMD) outfalls and during aerobic treatment of such CMD. The kinetic modeling approach, using PHREEQC, accAuthorsCharles A. CravottaTemporal geochemical variations in above- and below-drainage coal mine discharge
Water quality data collected in 2012 for 10 above- and 14 below-drainage coal mine discharges (CMDs), classified by mining or excavation method, in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania, USA, are compared with data for 1975, 1991, and 1999 to evaluate long-term (37 year) changes in pH, SO42−, and Fe concentrations related to geochemistry, hydrology, and natural attenuation processes. We hypothesizAuthorsJill E. Burrows, Stephen C. Peters, Charles A. CravottaAMDTreat 5.0+ with PHREEQC titration module to compute caustic chemical quantity, effluent quality, and sludge volume
Alkaline chemicals are commonly added to discharges from coal mines to increase pH and decrease concentrations of acidity and dissolved aluminum, iron, manganese, and associated metals. The annual cost of chemical treatment depends on the type and quantities of chemicals added and sludge produced. The AMDTreat computer program, initially developed in 2003, is widely used to compute such costs on tAuthorsCharles A. Cravotta, Brent P Means, Willam Arthur, Robert M McKenzie, David L. ParkhurstPriority pollutants and associated constituents in untreated and treated discharges from coal mining or processing facilities in Pennsylvania, USA
Clean sampling and analysis procedures were used to quantify more than 70 inorganic constituents, including 35 potentially toxic or hazardous constituents, organic carbon, and other characteristics of untreated (influent) and treated (effluent) coal-mine discharges (CMD) at 38 permitted coal-mining or coal-processing facilities in the bituminous coalfield and 4 facilities in the anthracite coalfieAuthorsCharles A. Cravotta, III, Keith B.C. BradySurface-water and groundwater interactions in an extensively mined watershed, upper Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, USA
Streams crossing underground coal mines may lose flow, while abandoned mine drainage (AMD) restores flow downstream. During 2005-12, discharge from the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel, the largest AMD source in the upper Schuylkill River Basin, had near-neutral pH and elevated concentrations of iron, manganese, and sulfate. Discharge from the tunnel responded rapidly to recharge but exhibited a prolonged reAuthorsCharles A. Cravotta, Daniel J. Goode, Michael D. Bartles, Dennis W. Risser, Daniel G. GaleoneEvolution of the chemistry of Fe bearing waters during CO2 degassing
The rates of Fe(II) oxidation and precipitation from groundwater are highly pH dependent. Elevated levels of dissolved CO2 can depress pH and cause difficulty in removing dissolved Fe and associated metals during treatment of ferruginous water. This paper demonstrates interdependent changes in pH, dissolved inorganic C species, and Fe(II) oxidation rates that occur as a result of the removal (degaAuthorsJ.N. Geroni, C.A. Cravotta, D.J. SapsfordA geochemical module for "AMDTreat" to compute caustic quantity, effluent quantity, and sludge volume
Treatment with caustic chemicals typically is used to increase pH and decrease concentrations of dissolved aluminum, iron, and/or manganese in largevolume, metal-laden discharges from active coal mines. Generally, aluminum and iron can be removed effectively at near-neutral pH (6 to 8), whereas active manganese removal requires treatment to alkaline pH (~10). The treatment cost depends on the specAuthorsCharles A. Cravotta, David L. Parkhurst, Brent P Means, Bob McKenzie, Harry Morris, Bill Arthur - Software
Related Software
PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat
USGS developed, in cooperation with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, “user-friendly” aqueous geochemical modeling tools to simulate changes in water quality during passive and active treatment of acid mine drainage.
PHREEQC Version 3
PHREEQC Version 3 is a computer program for speciation, batch-reaction, one-dimensional transport, and inverse geochemical calculations.
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