Although mining plays a vital role in the economic development of many countries, devastating environmental repercussions are associated with it. The extraction of mineral resources inevitably results in the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD), which entails intricate oxidation interactions that occur under ambient conditions in abandoned and active mines. The arbitrary release of AMD can lead to a series of long-term environmental problems, degradation of aquatic habitats and health complications. Over the years, extensive progress has been made in the prevention and treatment of AMD, with some processes even progressing as far as the commercialisation level. This chapter therefore discusses the process of AMD formation, preventative and control measures and AMD treatment options applicable to both operating and developed mines, as well as to researchers interested in environmental remediation and rehabilitation. Advances in mineral beneficiation and water reclamation strategies employed in the AMD treatment processes are highlighted to shed light on strides being made towards promoting a circular economy in mining industries. The featured work therefore demonstrates the global progress towards environmental protection and water resource management. The challenges and loopholes associated with the current AMD treatment methods are deliberated and possible future prospects in the field are proposed.

In this study, functionalized mesoporous silica was prepared and characterized as a stationary phase using various analytical and solid-state techniques, including a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen sorption. The results confirmed the successful synthesis of the hybrid stationary phase. The potential of the prepared hybrid mesoporous silica as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) stationary phase for separating and enriching polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in both spiked water samples and real water samples was evaluated. The analysis involved extracting the PAHs from the water samples using solid-phase extraction and analyzing the extracts using a two-dimensional gas chromatograph coupled to a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (GC × GC-TOFMS). The synthesized sorbent exhibited outstanding performance in extracting PAHs from both spiked water samples and real water samples. In the spiked water samples, the recoveries of the PAHs ranged from 79.87% to 95.67%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 1.85% to 8.83%. The limits of detection (LOD) for the PAHs were in the range of 0.03 µg/L to 0.04 µg/L, while the limits of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.05 µg/L to 3.14 µg/L. Furthermore, all the calibration curves showed linearity, with correlation coefficients (r) above 0.98. Additionally, the results from real water samples indicated that the levels of individual PAH detected ranged from 0.57 to 12.31 µg/L with a total of 44.67 µg/L. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the hybrid mesoporous silica as a promising stationary phase for solid-phase extraction and sensitive detection of PAHs in water samples.