{"title":"Determining the Characteristics of the Calcite Intrusions in the Southern Part of Eppawala Deposit and its Applicability for the Industries","authors":"Gkmr Peter, S. Sivaruban, G. Jayathilaka","doi":"10.31705/iserme.2022.9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31705/iserme.2022.9","url":null,"abstract":"Eppawala is the only phosphate deposit that is currently being mined in Sri Lanka and is composed of mainly two parts northern and southern. The ongoing phosphate mining process in the southern part has resulted in the exposure of fresh carbonatite embedded with large apatite crystals and those intrusions need to be removed before continuing further phosphate mining in that area. Therefore, we need to address a suitable method to use those calcite intrusions properly. In this paper, we are discussing the characteristics of calcite matrix such as critical anions (fluoride, chloride), P2O5 content, heavy metals, oxides, and the suitability of applying those removing calcite boulders for further industries including the fertilizer industry. Ion selectivity, titration, colorimetry, and induced coupled plasma spectrophotometry were used for analyzing the characteristics respectively for fifteen samples from three different boulders in the southern part. Results from critical anions and heavy metal percentages proved the absence of toxicity in calcite matrix and oxides percentages showed that it can be applied directly in its natural form only for the fertilizer industry by a quantitative comparison whereas upgrading processes need to be implemented to meet the specifications in other industries.","PeriodicalId":153701,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2022","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126612893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Grain Size Threshold for Quantifying Active Sediment Input: A Case Study of Maha Oya River in the Western Coast of Sri Lanka","authors":"R. Jayathilaka, N. Ratnayake","doi":"10.31705/iserme.2022.13","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31705/iserme.2022.13","url":null,"abstract":"Rivers have a significant role in the coastal sediment budget as the primary sources of natural sediment. Further, it is essential to comprehend the minimum grain size threshold, also known as the littoral cutoff diameter (LCD), in order to determine the actual contribution of river sediment load to the littoral beach. This study aims to present the LCD as a crucial variable worth taking into account at the regional level when budgeting for littoral sediments. Maha Oya River located on a severely eroding coastline between Negombo and Chilaw on the western coast of Sri Lanka was focus in this study. Here, we collected forty-four beach samples from the swash zone and berm crest during two sediment sampling surveys in March and October 2022. Concurrently, a streamer-type sediment trap was placed at 2 km upper streams of Maha Oya River to capture the bottom to 1.5 meters river sediment load. Sediment samples were sieved by mechanical sieving method in the classic Wentworth grain size scale (63-2000 μm). Additionally, the statistical properties of a grain size distribution, including LCD, skewness, kurtosis, and median grain size (D50), were investigated for sediment samples. Average D50 value on the beach was found to be 394 μm of medium sand that was moderately sorted, symmetrical, and mesokurtic, compared to 655 μm of coarse sand that was poorly sorted, fine skewed, and mesokurtic in river sediment. The LCD values was 141 μm on the beach studied herein, that indicated 10% of the river sediment in the lowest 1.5 m layer may not have remained on the beach in any significant quantity. Therefore, by using the concept of LCD, it is possible to quantify the potential overestimation of river sediment loads to the coastal sediment budget.","PeriodicalId":153701,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2022","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114407172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bcd Beddage, M. Ijas, Watn Wijayalath, A. Vijitha, H. Premasiri
{"title":"GPR mapping as a method for placer mineral exploration: A case study in Akurala, Sri Lanka","authors":"Bcd Beddage, M. Ijas, Watn Wijayalath, A. Vijitha, H. Premasiri","doi":"10.31705/iserme.2022.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31705/iserme.2022.8","url":null,"abstract":"Placer mineral exploration includes mapping underlying strata extensively. There are numerous exploration techniques, including electric and gamma logging, shallow vertical drill holes, exploratory trenches, and pits. Due to limitations of these conventional methods, geophysical methods such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), are widely being used. The purpose of this study is to map placer deposits using GPR as an exploratory approach. GPR is a modern, rapid, no-contact, high-resolution technique which transmit, reflect and receipt of high frequency electromagnetic (radar) wave. This study was carried out at Akurala, Galle, Southern Sri Lanka using 300MHz antenna. Based on the GPR data, sand layers were identified in clay beds, of an old riverbed, and the sand layer is deposited as a fluvial deposit, which are the sediments deposited by paleo river channel. Average thickness of the sand bed could be interpreted as 0.94m, extending perpendicular to shoreline, and situated at approximately 1.25m depth below surface level. GPR data profile indicate that the sand layer may enrich with valuable minerals and heavy minerals, and it was validated using thin sections prepared from test pit sampling.","PeriodicalId":153701,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2022","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126865494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mdn Deelaka, Amps Ridmika, Gmp Subodha, G. Samaradivakara, A. Abeysinghe
{"title":"Selection of High-Quality Aggregates for High-end Civil Engineering Projects such as Airport Runways","authors":"Mdn Deelaka, Amps Ridmika, Gmp Subodha, G. Samaradivakara, A. Abeysinghe","doi":"10.31705/iserme.2022.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31705/iserme.2022.3","url":null,"abstract":"In civil engineering, aggregates normally comprise over 70% by volume in both concrete and asphalt mixes, so that the properties of aggregates mostly represent the overall properties of the mixture. Among these properties, mechanical properties such as toughness and abrasion resistance have a greater influence in construction-related projects since such properties directly affects for its durability. Therefore, it is important to assess the suitability of aggregates prior starting the construction, which can be quantitatively measured through laboratory testing. When it comes to the construction industry in Sri Lanka, finding a suitable aggregate source for high-end Civil Engineering projects have been quite difficult, due to the lack of research and interpretation of data. In this study, all the IML/A grade quarries which are located within the Kalutara District has considered. To assess the suitability, Los Angeles Abrasion Value (LAAV) test and Aggregate Impact Value (AIV) were performed on the Aggregate-Base-Course (ABC) obtained from each. With the comparison performed on the results with respect to the specifications obtained from several high-end civil engineering projects, it was concluded that there are a limited number of quarries available in Kalutara District, which can be used for high-end civil engineering projects.","PeriodicalId":153701,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2022","volume":"141 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132586577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development of a blasting simulator considering gas-rock interaction","authors":"Ikawa Wataru, Fukuda Daisuke, Takahashi Yoshiaki, Saburi Tei, Kubo Shiro, Kodama Jun-ichi, F. Yoshiaki","doi":"10.31705/iserme.2022.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31705/iserme.2022.1","url":null,"abstract":"Optimization of rock blasting in mining engineering is essential for energy efficiency, cost reduction, and safety. In contrast, the dynamic rock fracture process due to blasting involves highly complex and rapid processes. Thus, it is crucial to develop a reasonable numerical simulator for blasting which can model the following processes: (i)detonation-induced shock wave and gas expansion, (ii)complex dynamic fracture process of rocks, (iii)gas-rock interaction including the impact of shock waves on the blasthole surface and the inflow of blast-induced gas into a dynamically evolving fracture network. Besides, massively parallel computation is indispensable to dealing with the computationally expensive coupling processes (i)~(iii). To this end, this study couples the cubic-interpolated pseudo particle (CIP) method, the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM) and the immersed boundary method to model the processes (i)~(iii), respectively. A massively parallel computing scheme with general-purpose graphics-processing units (GPGPU) is incorporated for the parallel computation. The applicability of the developed simulator is investigated using a single hole blasting problem. Although further improvements must be achieved, the proposed blasting simulation results indicate that all the processes (i)~(iii) can be reasonably traced. In conclusion, the developed simulator is expected to help investigate the optimization of rock blasting.","PeriodicalId":153701,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2022","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132910785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Karunarathne, Wmrt Weerasinghe, AK Dukeraisan, S. Niroshan, K. Gamsavi, Abn Dassanayake, Sp Chaminda, C. Jayawardena, Madmg Wickrama
{"title":"Evaluation of Weathering Effect on Engineering Properties of Sri Lankan Gneissic Rock","authors":"G. Karunarathne, Wmrt Weerasinghe, AK Dukeraisan, S. Niroshan, K. Gamsavi, Abn Dassanayake, Sp Chaminda, C. Jayawardena, Madmg Wickrama","doi":"10.31705/iserme.2022.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31705/iserme.2022.5","url":null,"abstract":"Weathering is a natural process common for all kinds of rock types that may occur due to either physical, chemical, or biological reasons. The applicability of rock in different engineering applications has a primary concern with their engineering properties that might have a significant influence from weathering effect. Characterizing such properties based on weathering effect on gneissic rocks of Sri Lanka is essential due to the wide existence and utilization of gneissic rocks. This study was conducted to understand the behavior of engineering properties such as uniaxial compressive strength, durability, hardness, pulse wave velocity, and mineralogical properties of gneissic rock with weathering effect. Engineering properties of gneissic rocks were determined using laboratory tests according to ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) for rocks in fresh and weathered states. Results showed that chemical weathering may have influenced gneissic rocks in both Kaduwela and Kudayala quarry sites since Mg percentage has decreased by the weathering effect. Formation of clay minerals with weathering is a significant characterictics of hornblend biotite gneiss in Kaduwela area, rather than the Garnet bearing biotite in Kudayala area. Mechanical properties such as strength and durability decrease when the fresh rocks exposed to weathering. Physical properties such as hardness, and Pulse velocity have decreased in weathered gneissic rock in both areas.","PeriodicalId":153701,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2022","volume":"69 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124596721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Optimization of Blasting Geometry and Explosive Quantity in Control Blasting for Dimension Stone Extraction","authors":"Swh Kavinda, Nahper Siriwardana, Jpd Chathuranga","doi":"10.31705/iserme.2022.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31705/iserme.2022.2","url":null,"abstract":"Dimension stone industry is a widespread market in the globe and has shown promising trends for expansion in the recent years. Dimension stones can be defined as, natural stones that have been selected and extracted to produce stones of precise size and shape. Products of dimension stones have been used for construction engineering practices and various other ornamental purposes. The available extraction practices for dimension stones can be categorized mainly into mechanical cutting and splitting techniques. Pre-split blasting is one of the splitting techniques that can be utilized to liberate dimension stone blocks from the rock deposit. The major drawback of utilizing explosive blasting in dimension stone extraction is the possibility of having high amount of wastes as a result of unnecessary fractures from the excessive explosive energy. By studying the relationship between blasting geometry and explosive quantity towards forming fractures in the selected ornamental stone, the aforementioned issue can be addressed to some extent. Software simulations were done to determine the blast design's ideal parameters for achieving an effective explosive energy distribution in the rock mass. Validation of the obtained simulation results through a field blast can be suggested as further development in the study area.","PeriodicalId":153701,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2022","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133893584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C.J. Nanayakkara, N. Partheepan, M.Y. Kumarapperuma, N. Ratnayake
{"title":"Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals in Sediments of the Negombo Lagoon, Sri Lanka","authors":"C.J. Nanayakkara, N. Partheepan, M.Y. Kumarapperuma, N. Ratnayake","doi":"10.31705/iserme.2022.10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31705/iserme.2022.10","url":null,"abstract":"Heavy metals accumulate in the sediments of aquatic environments due to poor water solubility. Their toxic effect poses a significant threat to living organisms. Negombo Lagoon, a vital aquatic ecosystem in Sri Lanka, has become vulnerable to heavy metals mainly from urbanization-related anthropogenic activities. Previous research in this respect has sampling points restricted to the boundary area. Since the heavy metal concentration is a static parameter, continuous research needs to keep the data updated. This study aims to investigate the spatial distribution of several heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Co, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb) in the surficial sediment of the Negombo Lagoon. Fifteen grab sediment samples were collected from the lagoon and analyzed for heavy metal concentration and grain size. The range of concentrations of each metal in test samples were between (78.07 - 222.68 mg/kg) Cr, (376.7-1298.05 mg/kg) Ni, (15.875-43.74 mg/kg) Co, (32.45-112.79 mg/kg) Cu, (20.17-55.81 mg/kg) As, (0.30-1.4 mg/kg) Cd, and (16.57-70.97 mg/kg) Pb. Heavy metal concentrations and sediment grain sizes show significant spatial variation over the Negombo lagoon area. Heavy metals were highly concentrated in locations, where finer sediments are accumulated (i.e., towards the eastern and southern part of the lagoon). Heavy metal concentrations were found to be increased with the decreasing grain size. High heavy metal concentrations are also found at places where there is a river discharge. Among the sources which feed heavy metals into Negombo Lagoon anthropogenic activities such as municipal and industrial waste disposal, rapid urbanization, shipping, and naval activities etc. have a significant impact.","PeriodicalId":153701,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2022","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114284141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
K. Brinthan, S. Shivadhahini, Uag Senadheera, Wam Fernando
{"title":"Experimental Investigation and Performance Optimisation of Washing Cycles for Pre-processing of Coal Fly Ash","authors":"K. Brinthan, S. Shivadhahini, Uag Senadheera, Wam Fernando","doi":"10.31705/iserme.2022.11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31705/iserme.2022.11","url":null,"abstract":"Coal Fly Ash (CFA), a by-product of thermal power plant combustion, has a profound focus among researchers due to its pozzolanic properties, porosity, wide chemical composition, and thermal stability. While being suitable for many applications (e.g., pozzolanic material, soil stabiliser, and structural fill), CFA is also a potential precursor for synthesising zeolites, broadly used in wastewater treatment. However, pre-processing is crucial due to the heterogeneous nature of CFA. This work focused on pre-processing CFA prior to wastewater treatment through continuous washing cycles at various operating temperatures. To this end, we studied the pH and conductivity of the solution after washing over multiple cycles, Sauter mean diameter, and the mineralogy of the settled CFA. The gathered results were analysed and optimised through response surface methodology. This was done to find the best combination of the number of washing cycles and temperature to remove soluble ions and increase the surface area of CFA particles. The analytical outcome revealed that five washing cycles at 70°C were adequate, with minimal soluble ions and maximum surface area. Evidently, these findings demonstrated significant improvements in the physical and chemical properties of CFA as a precursor for zeolite synthesis. Therefore, we recommend further studies on this front to extend the effective usage of CFA for the synthesis of commercial zeolites to be used for wastewater treatment.","PeriodicalId":153701,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2022","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121515324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Identification of Potential Minerals/Rocks in Sri Lankan Geological Terrain as Source of Potassium (K) Fertilizer","authors":"T. Nivethithan, K. Ariyawansha","doi":"10.31705/iserme.2022.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31705/iserme.2022.7","url":null,"abstract":"Due to the agricultural intensification in Sri Lanka, there is a high demand for potassium (K)-fertilizer inputs. However, in the Sri Lankan geological setting, the presence of major potash sources is minimum though the K- bearing minerals and rocks are abundant. Therefore, exploration of K-bearing mineral deposits is essential to cater the demand of K-fertilizer in the country. In this regard, this research is focused on investigating the K-bearing minerals and rocks in Sri Lankan geological terrain which can be used as K-fertilizers directly or as alternatives for currently available K-fertilizers. During sample collection, K-bearing minerals, such as feldspar and mica and K-bearing gneiss rock samples were collected from Matale, Kaikawala and Kadugannawa areas. Processed samples were subjected to analyse major oxide concentrations and K concentrations and surface topography. Analyses revealed that the highest actual potassium concentrations were presented in orthoclase feldspar (10.35 w/w%) and then biotite mica (9.95 w/w%) whereas other rocks showed the lowest. Based on the results, biotite mica (Kaikawala) and biotite gneiss (Matale) displayed the highest potential for K recovery, whilst the least potential for K recovery was shown in orthoclase feldspar (Kaikawala). However, further studies are recommended to develop this K-fertilizer and to assess whether its application is economically viable.","PeriodicalId":153701,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2022","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133574642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}