A Life Cycle Assessment Study of Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Using Steel Dust Mineralization Products

Mining and its associated industries contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, exacerbating climate change. To address this, our study employed life cycle assessment to assess the carbon footprint of utilizing carbonates made from steel dust from the Golgohar complex in a carbon mineralization process to treat acid mine drainage (AMD) at the Darrezar copper mine. We considered four scenarios and two sensitivity analyses, including the baseline scenario, solar energy utilization, dust variations, limestone purchase, transportation impact, and AMD quantity. The baseline scenario yielded a negative carbon footprint of – 107 kg of CO₂eq/100 kg of CO₂ from flue gas. Using solar energy prevented most of the GHG emissions. In addition, using a waste with high alkalinity reduced energy consumption throughout the process. Furthermore, the utilization of trucks with high capacity for product transportation and treating a low amount of AMD improved the entire process and kept it in the negative carbon footprint range. Finally, comparing scenarios to the conventional use of purchased limestone for AMD treatment demonstrated environmental viability. The study demonstrates the potential for sustainable practices in mining, promoting a shift towards methods that would mitigate environmental impact and contribute to a more carbon–neutral future.