Pollutants in Acid Mine Drainage

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the major environmental consequences of mining activity that often causes complete degradation of the ecosystems during and or after mine closure. AMD is a peculiar focus of research because it involves assessing the presence and reactivity of various pollutants, which may affect the subsequent analytical processes of characterization.
The systems affected by AMD have high heterogeneity and generate samples with complex matrices. Moreover, frequently, AMD generates high amounts of colloids, most in the nanoscale dimensions. Further, acid drainage represents peculiar ecosystems, dominated by acidophilic organisms involved in complex interactions with influence on the migration and fate of pollutants. In addition, evolution of AMD promotes the development of AMD-precipitates that control the equilibrium and evolution conditions. This Special Issue aims to cover the diversity of research items associated with the complexity of AMD, such as the source and nature of the pollutants, speciation, migration, fate, and toxicity, including that of nanoparticles, and the biogeochemistry and mineralogy of the AMD systems.