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west virginia department of environmental protection
west virginia department of environmental protection

Hands-On Experiments to learn about Acid Mine Drainage

Acid Mine Drainage at the Mouth of a Cave
 

Overview

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is water contaminated when pyrite (iron sulfide) is exposed to air and water. The exposure often results in reactions that form sulfuric acid and dissolved iron. Some or all of this iron can precipitate to form the red, orange, or yellow sediments (yellowboy) on the streambed. The acid runoff further dissolves heavy metals such as aluminum, copper, lead and manganese. The rate and degree which acid can increase mine drainage proceeds by the action of certain bacteria.
Note: There is also basic mine drainage (BMD).

The northern Appalachian coal fields (bituminous coal) extend from northwest Pennsylvania, south of the New York state line through western Pennsylvania, southeast Ohio, western Maryland, throughout much of West Virginia, southwest Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and northeast Tenn​essee. Mine drainage is particularly heavy in western Pennsylvania, and northern and central West Virginia. Northeast Pennsylvania is largely anthracite coal.

Resources

  • Abandoned Mine Reclamation Clearinghouse

    Abandoned Mine Reclamation Clearinghouse is an information clearinghouse for Pennsylvania watershed associations, especially those associations dealing with abandoned mine reclamation (AMR) issues.

  • The AMD&ART Project

    The AMD&ART Project website is a discussion of AMD&ART's approach to reclaiming land and water damaged by acid mine drainage, an extensive tour of the AMD&ART reclamation site and treatment process, text copies of the grants obtained to make each part of the site possible, and a collection of newsletters, articles, and other information.

  • INAP: The International Network for Acid Prevention

    INAP is an organization of international mining companies dedicated to reducing liabilities associated with sulphide mine materials.

  • Lambert's Run Success Story

    Read about a success story where passive treatment was used to restore water quality in the West Fork.

  • West Virginia Geology and the WVGES Geosciences Program

    The Geosciences Program covers West Virginia geologic mapping, earth-science education, geological hazards (including earthquakes), geochemistry, non-fuels mineral resources, and many other topics.

Let's Get Started

Each experiment includes a list of tools and things you will need and provi​des directions on what to do. You will also be asked to record what you see and what you conclude.

Safety First

These experiments should always be done with the proper supervision from a teacher or parent. Always use caution and the proper protective equipment such as, rubber boots, gloves, safety glasses when you are in or around a stream and especially when handling chemicals.

Introductory Materials

  • Welcome letter to kids, teachers, parents, guardians and concerned citizens

    What questions do you have about acid mine drainage, the colors in the water, the critters in the water, or any other water quality questions? This document will help you answer some of those questions and more. It is full of simple experiments that will lead you to some of the answers, but more importantly it will help you understand how important it is to protect, preserve, and learn about our environment.

  • Tips on designing your own experiments

    To use the Scientific Method you should design an experiment to test your hypothesis. A hypothesis is a question, which has been reworded into a form that can be tested by an experiment. Your hypothesis should be based on the background information you gathered. Make a numbered, step-by-step list of what you will do to answer your question. This list is called an "experimental procedure". Your procedure should be detailed enough that someone else could do your experiment without needing to talk to you about it.

  • What is Science? -- The Basics

    Science is not just a collection of facts, it is so much more. We all need to know some basic science in order to better understand our environment.

The Experiments

The pH of a substance is a measurement (color change or number change) of how much acid or base a substance may contain. Many acids and bases are important to the internal chemical reactions that take place in living things. Most living things attempt to keep themselves at equilibrium (neutral), but this is sometimes very difficult due to the pH of the surrounding environment. The pH scale (the measure of acids and bases) ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being the middle or neutral point. A substance with a pH of less than 7 is acidic and if it greater than 7 it is basic, also called alkaline. Each time there is a change in pH of one unit, it is the same as multiplying ten times (increase or decrease) the strength of the acid or base. Litmus paper is one way to measure the strength of an acid or base substance. Other ways include, electronic pH meters and test kits that will measure acids and bases by comparing color scales.

Tools and things you will need

  • Baking soda
  • Blender
  • 5 x 8 index card
  • Eye dropper
  • Lemon juice
  • Red cabbage
  • Strainer
  • Vinegar
  • A plastic sheet to contain the mess.

What to do?

  1. Pull off the cabbage leaves.
  2. Press them down hard on the white card until the card turns purple (6th grader Peter Cable discovered that the purple in the leaves works the best).
  3. When you have turned the whole card purple, put a drop of each test substance on the card.

More things to do

For these steps you'll need a blender and adult supervision

  1. Cut cabbage into chunks.
  2. Blend the cabbage chunks into a blender until liquid.
  3. Strain the contents of the blended cabbage with the strainer.
  4. Mix a drop of this liquid with the substance being tested.

Hint: Lemon juice and vinegar are acids and should turn the paper pink (lower pH). Baking soda is a base and should turn the paper green (higher pH). If there are no color changes with your test liquids, this means they are neutral.

Group photo of The PH Scale.

Additional Resources

Robert Angus Smith, a Scottish chemist, was the first to use the phrase "acid rain" in 1852. He noticed that the bricks in the buildings were falling apart, and through scientific experimentation, later found that there was a connection between London's polluted skies and the pH of its rainfall. Most scientists today agree that normal rainfall is slightly acidic with a pH of 5.6. The rain naturally reacts with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to form a weak carbonic acid. Therefore, scientists define acid rain as any wet precipitation (rain, sleet, and snow) with a pH of less than 5.6. The rain becomes more acidic when it reacts with other gases in the atmosphere such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These other gases are naturally present in the atmosphere in small amounts; Industrial activities have increased their amounts.

Tools and things you will need

  • Glass/plastic bowl
  • Litmus paper
  • Measuring cup
  • Stirring rod
  • Vinegar
  • Lemon juice
  • Baking soda
  • Chalk
  • Milk of magnesia
  • Cola or coffee: a few drops of each

What to do?

  1. Get a cup of water out of your local creek and pour it into a bowl.
  2. Wash and dry the measuring cup.
  3. Test the pH of the water with litmus paper (acids turn the paper pink).
  4. Measure out one cup of baking soda.
  5. If the water is acid (pH less than 7), slowly stir baking soda into the bowl.
  6. Test with new litmus paper periodically until the paper turns blue. (This happens when the acid is neutralized.)
  7. Repeat with a variety of acids (lemon juice, cola, and coffee) and a variety of bases (milk, milk of magnesia, and chalk).

What did you see?

  1. How much baking soda was needed to neutralize your creek water, coke, lemon juice etc.?
  2. What happened when you combined two different acids?
  3. What else did you see?

What do you conclude?

  1. Which substance had the highest pH (was the most basic)?
  2. What are your conclusions? "Write down what think."

Additional Resources

In many areas, acid drainage forms naturally when certain minerals come into contact with water, air and bacteria. This contact and the chemical reactions that take place are part of the weathering process. The weathering of the rocks and minerals in the creek slowly releases the acids, salts, metals and sulfates into creeks, rivers, lakes and wetlands. Weathering is a natural process, but many times human activities interfere and can increase the amounts. When too much of these acids and minerals enter creeks, they become polluted and can no longer support animals.

Tools and things you will need

  • Bottles and containers
  • Coal chunks
  • Gloves
  • Limestone
  • Litmus paper
  • Pieces of ore (Use small pieces; iron, aluminum, or magnesium ores are available at local science and nature supply stores)
  • Rocks and other solid materials
  • Rubber boots
  • Tap water

What to do?

  1. Collect solid materials that are found where you live.
  2. Add tap water to bottles. Measure the pH with litmus paper.
  3. Add one type of solid material to each of the water bottles. You may want to crush the solid materials into small pieces to get better results.
  4. Put water but no solids in one bottle. (This is called your control.)
  5. Measure the pH over time and write down what you see.

What did you see?

  1. What materials lowered the pH of the water?
  2. What materials raised the pH of the water?
  3. How long did it take for acid to form?
  4. What else did you see?

What did you conclude?

  1. What materials in your area do you think can cause acid mine drainage?
  2. How could you prevent acid mine drainage from forming?
  3. What are your conclusions? "Write down what you think."

Additional Resources

​ Groundwater is an important part of our planet's water cycle. The surface water, mainly from rain, runs off over the ground and fills creeks, rivers, lakes and wetlands. A small amount of the surface water does not run off, but instead seeps underground. This underground water is called ground-water. Groundwater fills the spaces that are found in the soil and rocks and eventually flows downhill, just like creeks. The place that the groundwater is first observed as you dig down from the surface into the rocks and soil below is known as the water table. If you live in an area where your creek is acid, most likely the groundwater will also be acid.

Tools and things you will need

  • Gloves
  • Rubber boots
  • Shovel
  • A short length of PVC pipe

What to do?

  1. Test your creek pH with litmus paper.
  2. Move away from the stream in a line (transect) and push a pipe down into the sediment, or dig a hole with a shovel.
  3. Collect the water and test the pH with litmus paper.
  4. Test another distance away from your creek.

What did you see?

  1. How far down did you have to dig to find groundwater as you moved away from the creek?
  2. Was the underground water the same chemistry as the creek?
  3. What else did you see?

What do you conclude?

  1. Would acids leak into the groundwater from the creek, or from other underground sources?
  2. What are your conclusions? "Write down what you think."
Water Cycle Graphic.

Additional Resources

An excellent way to learn about your creek is to study its benthic macroinvertebrate community. Biologist and other scientist have collected these organisms from many different places and many different types of creeks. By studying the macroinvertebrate in the creeks, you can learn something about the chemistry of the water and the physical environment, thereby determining the health of the creek.

First things first

If your organization decides to complete independent surveys that include aquatic collections, you must apply for and receive a Scientific Collection Permit from the WVDNR. You can reference this example of the WV Save Our Streams Program's permit to get started. [§20-2-50]

Tools and things you will need

What to do?

  1. Test the pH of the water with litmus paper, “write it down.”
  2. Find a area of your creek with a riffle, which is a shallow area with fast-moving water and many rocks of different sizes (mostly cobble 2-10 inches wide).
  3. Secure the net in the riffle, make sure water is flowing into the net.
  4. In a small area just above the net (usually about 3 x 3 ft. depending on the net) rub-off the larger rocks with your hands or a small brush, then shuffle your feet back and forth across the area to disturb the rest of the bottom (this is called a kick).
  5. Remove the net using an upstream scooping motion; place the net on a flat surface on top of a shower curtain or garbage bag (use white or clear).
  6. Remove the organisms from the net by picking them up with your hands or forceps and place them into trays partially filled with stream water.
  7. Observe the organisms using containers and magnification and identify the major groups with your ID-guide. Estimate their numbers using a simple rating scale (A) > 50, (C) 5-50, (R) < 5; always identify as many different kinds as you can within certain major groups.

What did you see?

  1. How many aquatic organisms came off the cobblestones?
  2. What kinds of aquatic organisms were there?
  3. What other things were collected in the net?
  4. What else did you see?

What do you conclude?

  1. What information can you interpret from the types of aquatic organisms?
  2. What are your conclusions? "Write down what you think."
Group with net in stream.

There are very few plants that prefer acid conditions in creeks. However, some plants such as cattails can help to change the chemistry of the water by the uptake of pollutants and trapping of materials with their root systems. These wetland plants work in cooperation with bacteria in the soil to help improve the condition of the water. Today scientists are testing many of these plants to see how they are able to do this. By learning more, scientists are able to create new environments, such as wetlands, to help improve conditions in acid streams.

Tools and things you will need

  • Gloves
  • Litmus paper
  • Magnifying lenses
  • Rubber boots
  • Small shovel

Note: Use caution, some plants have spines or sticky substances to annoy animals.

What to do?

  1. Test the pH of the water with litmus paper. (Is your creek acidic?)
  2. Collect, draw, or take photos of some of the plants growing alongside your creek. If you collect plants, only take one. If you find only one plant by your creek, do not collect it. We would prefer that you draw or take pictures of the plants instead.
  3. Take any plants that you collect and press them in a phone book between sheets of newspaper.
  4. Identify and make a list of these plants.
  5. Dig out one or two of the plants to the root, or find their seeds to see if you can get them to grow somewhere else (do not take any plants without permission).
  6. Take a field trip to a wetland area.

What did you see?

  1. What types of plants grow along the creek?
  2. What kind and color of soil did they grow in (hard, soft, squishy, wet, orange, black, or gray)?
  3. What equipment did you need to keep the plants alive?
  4. What else did you see?

What do you conclude?

  1. What information did the plants give you?
  2. What are your conclusions? "Write down what you think."
Plants growing from a stream with acid mine drainage.

Additional Resources

Looking at bacteria and algae: Acidic environments are difficult places to live for many plants and animals; however, certain types of bacteria and algae can survive and flourish. These small one-celled life forms collectively known as microorganisms can be very colorful. The colors are a result of the many different types of chemical processes, of which these life forms are capable. For example, iron-oxidizing bacteria are able to "remove" dissolved iron in the water and form minerals that look like rust. Many types of algae and bacteria use energy from sunlight to produce food, similar to larger plants, in a process called photosynthesis. These processes also create changes in the chemistry of the water. The many different types of bacteria and algae produce brilliant colors such as yellow, red, green, brown and even purple.

Tools and things you will need

  • Baby food jars
  • Eye dropper
  • Gloves
  • Litmus paper
  • Magnifying lenses
  • Microscope (if possible)
  • Rubber boots

What to do?

  1. With an eyedropper, collect in baby food jars the different red, yellow, orange, or brown flocculates (flakes found in the water, on the rocks or on the bottom sediments) in the water. Try filling some jars all the way to the top, and leave an air space in others.
  2. Test each jar with litmus paper to check its pH and write down the results.
  3. Put the jars on a windowsill. (Put some jars on a south-facing windowsill to get direct sunlight. Put other jars on a north-facing windowsill so they do not get sunlight). Certain algae will probably develop in the jars receiving the sunlight, and certain bacteria will develop in the jars that do not receive sunlight.
  4. Observe over two or more weeks and take the pH of the water regularly. Take notes of what you see, including the date and time of your observations.

What did you see?

  1. Observe a water sample every other day with a microscope (if possible). Did swimming protozoan hatch out?
  2. Did any of the iron bacteria colonize (coat) the jar?
  3. Did any of the iron bacteria form a reddish, oily looking film at the surface between the air and the water?
  4. Did any of the iron bacteria form a brown ring at the top of the water?
  5. What else did you see?

What do you conclude?

  1. Did you collect acid loving iron oxidizing bacteria or neutral iron bacteria?
  2. How can you tell the differences? "Write down what you think."
AMD bacteria under a microscope.

Additional Resources

A creek can carry an amazing amount of chemicals. (One reason is that any activity on the land that surrounds the creek can usually affect the creek.) Some of these chemicals are so abundant that they mask "or hide" what is actually going on in the creek. For example, an abundant amount of minerals, metals, and sulfates may increase the pH of the creek, but when these substances drop out of the water, such as when the water flows over rocks or through wetlands, the chemistry of the creek changes and the pH may actually decrease.

Tools and things you will need

  • Access to a refrigerator
  • Access to a stove
  • Gloves
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Litmus paper
  • Small jars (i.e. baby food jars, pill jars etc.)
  • Rubber boots

Note: Use caution, some plants have spines or sticky substances to annoy animals.

What to do?

Note: Write down your results each time you check the pH.

  1. Fill a small jar or pill bottle to the top with water from your creek.
  2. Test the waters pH with litmus paper.
  3. Pour in one capful of peroxide.
  4. Let the red flocculates settle.
  5. Test the water again for its pH.
  6. Repeat the experiment with water placed in a refrigerator for one hour.
  7. Repeat the experiment with water left in a warm stove for one hour.
  8. Repeat the entire experiment using baking soda.

What did you see?

  1. What happened when you put hydrogen peroxide in the water? What about baking soda?
  2. What happened to the pH?
  3. Which reaction (refrigerator or warm stove) occurred faster?
  4. What else did you see?

What do you conclude?

  1. What kind of chemical reaction did you perform?
  2. Does heat or cold speed up a reaction?
  3. What are your conclusions? "Write down what you think."
Group of young people testing the PH of a water source.

Additional Resources

​ Iron and the oxidation-reduction process: Iron is a common element of many creeks, especially in the Appalachian region. Iron (Fe) has many different forms and many different colors. Each color tells a different story about the chemistry of the creek. Iron that is naturally found in the creek normally does not cause problems (it is part of the soil and the sediments), but metals can be increased by human activities to a point where they may become harmful to life in a creek. With iron, red is oxidized and black is reduced.

Tools and things you will need

  • Eyedropper
  • Gloves
  • Jars with lids
  • Litmus paper
  • Magic markers
  • Rubber boots
  • Shovel

What to do?

  1. Fill jars with red, yellow, or orange flocculates (flakes that occur in the water, on rocks or on the bottom sediments) and water from a creek. These can be found in many creek, but are especially common in creeks affected by acid mine drainage.
  2. Dig with a shovel in different places in and along the creek bed, until you find the color change from red to black.
  3. Add some black sediment to some of the jars (and make sure water is to the top to keep out oxygen).
  4. Label the jars with the dates of collection.
  5. Put covered jars on a north-facing windowsill and observe them over several weeks.

What did you see?

  1. Make observations as to what happened to the colors over several weeks.
  2. At the end of the experiment, uncover the jars and smell them. "Write down what you smell."
  3. What else did you see?

What do you conclude?

  1. Which of these colors are from iron?
  2. Which iron was oxidized and which was reduced?
  3. What are your conclusions? "Write down what you think."
Stream with flocculates.

Additional Resources

The manganese cycle: Finding the minerals that coat the rocks in a creek is a very old profession. The prospectors of years ago used to scrape off the coatings from the rocks in a creek and send them to a laboratory for analysis. These prospectors were usually looking for gold and silver, but many times they found a wide variety of minerals and metals. The coatings and colors on the rocks can usually tell you about the most abundant minerals in a creek. Many times, the darkest mineral in a creek will cause the color. Manganese is almost always the darkest color mineral in the creek.

Tools and things you will need

  • Glass slides; gloves
  • Jars with lids
  • Litmus paper
  • Magic markers
  • Magnifying lenses
  • Microscope (if possible)
  • Rubber boots
  • String or small rope
  • Other items, which can be such things as cans, bottle, tile, Styrofoam, paper, plastic etc.

What do you conclude?

  1. Which materials do you think bacteria like best?
  2. What are your conclusions? "Write down what you think​."

What to do?

  1. This experiment requires that your creek have black-coated cobble stones.
  2. Tie a string or small rope across your creek. Attach some of the materials listed above along the string, making sure they are dangling in the water. (You can also attach them to tree roots or wooden stakes.)
  3. Fill a large jar with creek water; Drop a microscope slide into the jar. Examine the slide at least once a week (should examine it more often). Write down what you see and any changes that occur over time.
  4. Write down what day you started the experiment.
  5. Examine the items dangling in the creek at least once a week. Write down what you see and any changes that occur.
  6. After about six weeks end the experiment; write down the ending date, along with any final observations.

Additional Resources

Both natural processes and pollution can cause foam (white soapy looking stuff) on a creek. It is usually caused by a combination of several different pathways. A simple definition of foam is "A gas (usually oxygen) mixed in a liquid containing some type of impurity." The foam is produced when air bubbles created by water flowing over rocks and over objects, combine or mix with the impurity. Sometimes foams are natural. White colors can tell you when the element aluminum is present, or when sulfur producing bacteria are present. The foam may also be the result of human activities in or around the creek.

Tools and things you will need

  • Eyedropper
  • Gloves
  • Jars with lids
  • Litmus paper
  • Microscope (if possible)
  • Rubber boots
  • Shovel or stick

What to do?

  1. How can you tell if an impurity is present in the environment?
  2. See if your creek has white foam.
  3. Collect the white flocculates (flakes that occur in the water, on rocks or on the bottom sediments) in a baby food jar with an eyedropper.
  4. Smell the mud under the white flocculate. What do you smell? A sulfur smell can indicate the presence of sulfur reducing bacteria.

What did you see?

  1. Look at the flocculates under a microscope.
  2. Observe the changes over time.
  3. What else did you see?

What do you conclude?

  1. What types of substances are in your creek?
  2. How can you find out what is in your creek?
  3. What are your conclusions? "Write down what you think."

Treatment of AMD: Acid mine drainage sometimes forms when certain minerals in the soil and rocks around mines are exposed to weathering processes during mining. These exposed minerals release their contents into creeks causing them to become acidic. This kind of pollution damages aquatic life and makes the water useless or harmful for others who depend on it for recreation or drinking water.

Today, coalmining and other industries use very expensive chemicals (active treatments) to treat these contaminated waters. There are also less expensive methods known as (passive treatments) that can help improve our rivers and streams. Passive treatment methods are used most often for treating pollution from abandoned mines (prior to SMRA-1977) but the methods are used in other situations as well.

Tools and things you will need

  • Acid water from a creek
  • Bottles with caps
  • Cobble or other natural objects
  • Compost
  • Gloves
  • Leaves
  • Litmus paper
  • Limestone
  • Pine needles
  • Rubber boots

Note: You will need large enough bottles for each object you plan to test.

What to do?

  1. Find an acid stream by using litmus paper to measure the pH.
  2. Collect the water in bottles.
  3. Add one natural material to each bottle. Measure the initial pH.
  4. Label each bottle and write down its pH.
  5. Every few days for about two weeks, measure the pH to see what happens in each bottle. Write down the results.

What did you see?

  1. What materials decreased the pH of the water?
  2. What materials increased the pH of the water?
  3. What materials caused solids to form at the bottom of the bottles?
  4. What colors were the solids?
  5. Did one of your experiments change acidic water to neutral?
    6. >

What do you conclude?

  1. What natural materials do you think can be used to treat acid mine drainage?
  2. Can you create a treatment system using these natural materials?
  3. What are your conclusions? "Write down what you think."
Stream with flocculates.

Additional Resources

AMD Resources for Additional Study

To learn more about AMD contact the appropriate state, local or federal agency, conduct your own Internet research using your preferred web browser, or visit your local library.

  • Costen, J. and Hornberger M., 1995. Water Wizardry: A teacher’s guide to classroom activities and demonstrations about water pollution and remediation. US Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA (To order contact: Michelle I. Hornberger, 345 Middlefield Rd., MS 465, Menlo Park, CA 94025)

  • Gartrell, J.E. et al. 1992. Earth – The Water Planet: National Science Teachers Association. (To order: US Geological Survey, MS 950, Reston, VA 20192)

  • Robbins, E.I. and Hayes, M. 1997. What’s red in the water? What’s black on the rocks? What’s the oil on the surface?

  • Schrock, J.R. 1993. Surface mining of coal: The Kansas School Naturalist, Vol. 4, No. 1, Emporia State University, 1200 Commercial St., Emporia, KS 66801-5087

  • Sly, C. 1990. Water wisdom: A curriculum for grades four – eight: Publication of the Alameda County Office of Education. (To order: US Geological Survey Library, MS 950, Reston, VA 20192)

  • The properties of water; From Wikipedia

  • Zielinski E.J. 1995. Acid Mine Drainage in Pennsylvania, K-12 Awareness Activities: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Bureau of Land and Water Conservation

Developed By

Timothy Craddock
West Virginia DEP - Watershed Improvement Branch
601 57th Street SE
Charleston, WV 25304

Dr. Eleanora Robbins
Department of Geological Sciences
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182

Sandra McSurdy
National Energy Technology Laboratory
Pittsburgh Research Center
Pittsburgh, PA 15236​

​​​​​​​

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