Groundwater Hydrochemistry in Mining Environments
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrogeology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 1
Special Issue Editors
Interests: mine water; karst groundwater flow and transport; hydrogeochemistry of mine closure; coal mine hydrogeology; groundwater contamination
Interests: karst groundwater; mine water inrush mechanism; water inrush prevention; water resources management; water resources protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: groundwater science and engineering; mine water disaster prevention and control; mine water pollution prevention and control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Groundwater is a critical yet vulnerable component of the environment in mining regions worldwide. Mining activities, from initial dewatering and ore extraction to post-closure management, profoundly alter the natural hydrogeological and geochemical regimes. The generation of contaminated mine drainage, particularly acid mine drainage (AMD) and neutral metalliferous drainage, remains one of the most persistent environmental challenges confronting the global mining industry. A predictive understanding of the complex hydrogeochemical processes that govern water–rock interactions, contaminant mobilization and attenuation is therefore essential for developing robust prevention, mitigation, and remediation strategies.
This Special Issue aims to collate high-quality research that advances our understanding of groundwater hydrochemistry in mining environments. Although key geochemical reactions are generally understood, significant uncertainties remain. These include quantifying reaction kinetics in heterogeneous media, elucidating the role of microbial communities in biogeochemical cycles, predicting the long-term hydrochemical evolution of decommissioned mine systems, and unraveling the complex coupling between physical hydrology and reactive transport.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) genesis, prediction, and new treatment technologies;
- Hydrogeochemical processes in mining environment;
- Advanced groundwater remediation technologies and their integration with predictive models;
- Microbial hydrogeochemistry;
- Fate and transport of heavy metals, metalloids, organic matter, and emerging contaminants;
- Theories and technologies for element and mineral recovery from impacted groundwater;
- Innovative technology on monitoring and characterizing groundwater hydrochemistry;
- Climate change impacts on groundwater flow and geochemical stability in mining areas;
- Mine closure hydrogeochemistry;
- Mechanism and kinetics of sulfide mineral oxidation in groundwater system;
- Application and development of novel models for reactive transport;
- Coupled processes modeling of groundwater in mining heterogenoues aquifers.
Dr. Pu Liu
Prof. Dr. Bo Li
Prof. Dr. Zhimin Xu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- acid mine drainage (AMD)
- heavy metal
- hydrogeochemistry
- mine closure
- microbial hydrogeochemistry
- multi-tracer isotopes
- kinetics of sulfide mineral oxidation
- reactive transport modeling
- emerging contaminants
- mineral recycling
- machine learning technology
- contamination treatment technology
- coupled modeling of groundwater processes
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