Acid Mine Drainage: Sustainable Mining Practices for Mitigating Environmental Impact

Author Biography

Athanas S. Macheyeki is a Professor of geology at the University of Dodoma. He is the former Commissioner for the Mining Commission in Tanzania; former Executive Secretary for the Tanzania Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (TEIT), former Manager of Applied Geology - Geological Survey of Tanzania, former Principal of the Mineral Resources Institute – Dodoma and Founder of the Earth Sciences Institute of Shinyanga (www.esis.ac.tz). Prior to working for the government of Tanzania, he served as Mineral Exploration Geologist for Kabanga Nickel Company Ltd and for Anglo American Exploration Company (Tanzania). He is the holder of BSc. (UDSM), MSc. (UWC) and PhD (UGHENT) and developer of lithogechemical ratios useful for Ni-Cu sulphide exploration. He has authored / co-authored over 2 dozens of publications including articles, geological maps, book chapters and books including (1) Applied Geochemistry: Advances in Mineral Exploration Techniques and (2) The East African Rift System: Geodynamics and Natural Resource Potentials. Noel Isack Kaaya is a chemist and Chemical Inspector at the Government Chemist Laboratory Authority in Tanzania. His work involves the laboratory analysis of environmental samples from mining sites and industrial areas to ensure compliance with regulatory standards for human health and environmental protection. As a Chemical Inspector, he oversees the production, use, and marketing of chemicals to prevent adverse health and environmental impacts. His routine inspections of chemical use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sites have motivated his interest in environmental geochemistry. As part of his master's dissertation, he researched the geochemical characteristics of ASGM tailings and their associated ecological and health risks. Part of this work is published in the Journal of Trace Elements and Minerals (Kaaya et al., 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemin.2025.100222). He holds a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Dar es Salaam and an MSc in Chemistry from the University of Dodoma. Mathias Macheyeki is a cybersecurity and digital forensics engineer and a full-stack software developer, graduate of the University of Dodoma. He is the co-author of Morphostructural study on the Eyasi–Durumo–Manyara faults - East African Rift System (Macheyeki and Macheyeki, 2025). He is the founder of TEYORA - a technology startup firm focused on cybersecurity, digital forensics, and software development. He has experience in building secure, practical, and user-centred digital systems, web and mobile developer and security specialist focusing on vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, secure code reviews and incident response activities. His areas of competence also include web and mobile application development, network security and digital forensics focusing on reliability and real-world usability. Mathias has collaborated with technical institutions including the Earth Science Institute of Shinyanga to design and implement a secure Student Records Management System, the Geological Survey of Tanzania to maintain systems, software installations, and technical troubleshooting.