The intense mining activity that has been carried out throughout history in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (FPI), has led to the existence of more than 100 abandoned mines and about 2x108 Mm3 of mining waste housed in dumps, sludge deposits, open pit mines, etc. These degraded spaces are the main source of contamination of ground and surface water in the Odiel River Basin, due to the acid mine drains they generate.
The purpose of this project is to recover water intensely contaminated by mining activities, by means of a passive treatment consisting of passing this water through a dispersed alkaline substrate, formed by a thick, inert matrix with a large specific surface area, such as wood shavings, mixed with an alkaline, fine-grained material, such as limestone sand.
