METHOD FOR BUILDING GEOTHERMAL REDUCING BARRIER IN SUBSURFACE ENVIRONMENT Russian patent published in 2003 - IPC

FIELD: mining engineering; construction of surface or subsurface storages for solid and liquid wastes. SUBSTANCE: method used for building and servicing storages designed for solid and liquid wastes including radioactive ones and disposed on surface or directly in aeration region, as well as for reclaiming polluted areas and for taking measures to protect underground water from various sources of pollutants among them being heap leaching areas, dumps, tailing pits, and other industrial entities of mining industry involves construction of geothermal reducing barrier in subsurface environment including supply of reducing materials to barrier construction zone, construction of barrier in aeration region, reducing gas such as hydrogen sulfide being used as reducing material which is pumped through borehole whose filter is installed in bottom part of aeration region. When filling barrier construction zone with reducing gas its upper boundary is disposed below boundary of maximal vibration amplitude of aeration region air column arising therein as result of atmospheric pressure variations. In some cases barrier construction zone is filled in addition with iron salts such as ferric sulfate. EFFECT: enhanced efficiency of underground water pollution control including confinement of pollutants during their initial ingress in subsurface environment. 6 cl, 1 dwg, 1 ex