Removal of iron and sulphate during acid mine drainage treatment using laboratory successive alkalinity producing system and its behavioural relationship

Abstract Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is one of the persistent water pollution problems in many coal mines of U.S.A. and Canada. Only few mines in India face this problem. The treatment of acid mine water has become a statutory requirement in almost all mines of the world. Metal removal and alkalinity generation is essential feature of any AMD treatment system but sulphate removal from acid mine drainage is still given the secondary importance. In the present study, four AMDs were treated in laboratory Successive Alkalinity Producing System (SAPS) for five different hydraulic retention times (HRT). The total iron removal and corresponding sulphate removal along with net alkalinity generation were studied during AMD treatment process by SAPS. A complete removal of total iron and sulphate removal of over 59% have been achieved. The study revealed that the total iron removal and sulphate removal increases with increase in HRT and its removal exhibited linear relationship. A substantial increase in alkalinity was also found after SAPS treatment. The findings of the study can be utilized in design of SAPS for removal of iron and sulphate during treatment of AMD in mining areas.

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ACID MINE DRAINAGE TREATMENT AND METAL REMOVAL BASED ON A BIOLOGICAL SULFATE-REDUCING PROCESS

Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering ◽

10.1590/0104-6632.20180352s20160615 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 543-552 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

E. S. Castro Neto ◽

A.B.S. Aguiar ◽

R.P. Rodriguez ◽

G.P. Sancinetti

Keyword(s):

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Metal Removal ◽

Sulfate Reducing ◽

Acid Mine ◽

Acid Mine Drainage Treatment

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Understanding the biogeochemical mechanisms of metal removal from acid mine drainage with a subsurface limestone bed at the Motokura Mine, Japan

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-78069-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shigeshi Fuchida ◽

Kohei Suzuki ◽

Tatsuya Kato ◽

Masakazu Kadokura ◽

Chiharu Tokoro

Keyword(s):

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Metal Removal ◽

Theoretical Calculations ◽

Exchange Capacity ◽

Treatment Technique ◽

Manganese Compound ◽

Edge Structure ◽

Acid Mine ◽

Copper Zinc

AbstractSubsurface limestone beds (SLBs) are used as a passive treatment technique to remove toxic metals from acid mine drainage (AMD). In this study, we investigated the mechanisms and thermodynamics of metal (manganese, copper, zinc, cadmium, and lead) precipitation in the SLB installed at the Motokura Mine. Field surveys in 2017 and 2018 showed that the pH of the SLB influent (initially 5–6) increased to approximately 8 in the drain between 24 and 45 m from the inlet. This increase was caused by limestone dissolution and resulted in the precipitation of hydroxides and/or carbonates of copper, zinc, and lead, as expected from theoretical calculations. Manganese and cadmium were removed within a pH range of approximately 7–8, which was lower than the pH at which they normally precipitate as hydroxides (pH 9–10). X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis of the sediment indicated that δ-MnO2, which has a high cation-exchange capacity, was the predominant tetravalent manganese compound in the SLB rather than trivalent compound (MnOOH). Biological analysis indicates that microorganism activity of the manganese-oxidizing bacteria in the SLB provided an opportunity for δ-MnO2 formation, after which cadmium was removed by surface complexation with MnO2 (≡ MnOH0 + Cd2+ ⇄ ≡ MnOCd+ + H+). These findings show that biological agents contributed to the precipitation of manganese and cadmium in the SLB, and suggest that their utilization could enhance the removal performance of the SLB.

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Influence of Monovalent Cations on the Efficiency of Ferrous Ion Oxidation, Total Iron Precipitation, and Adsorptive Removal of Cr(VI) and As(III) in Simulated Acid Mine Drainage with Inoculation of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Metals ◽

10.3390/met8080596 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (8) ◽

pp. 596 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yongwei Song ◽

Heru Wang ◽

Jun Yang ◽

Yanxiao Cao

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metal ◽

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

Acidithiobacillus Ferrooxidans ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Metal Removal ◽

Heavy Metal Removal ◽

Monovalent Cations ◽

Iron Minerals ◽

Acid Mine ◽

Removal Efficiencies

Acid mine drainage is highly acidic and contains large quantities of Fe and heavy metal elements. Thus, it is important to promote the transformation of Fe into secondary iron minerals that exhibit strong heavy-metal removal abilities. Using simulated acid mine drainage, this work analyzes the influence of monovalent cations (K+, NH4+, and Na+) on the Fe2+ oxidation and total Fe deposition efficiencies, as well as the phases of secondary iron minerals in an Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans system. It also compares the Cr(VI) (K2Cr2O7) and As(III) (As2O3) removal efficiencies of different schwertmannites. The results indicated that high concentrations of monovalent cations (NH4+ ≥ 320 mmol/L, and Na+ ≥ 1600 mmol/L) inhibited the biological oxidation of Fe2+. Moreover, the mineralizing abilities of the three cations differed (K+ > NH4+ > Na+), with cumulative Fe deposition efficiencies of 58.7%, 28.1%, and 18.6%, respectively [n(M) = 53.3 mmol/L, cultivation time = 96 h]. Additionally, at initial Cr(VI) and As(III) concentrations of 10 and 1 mg/L, respectively, the Cr(VI) and As(III) removal efficiencies exhibited by schwertmannites acquired by the three mineralization systems differed [n(Na) = 53.3 > n(NH4) = 53.3 > n(K) = 0.8 mmol/L]. Overall, the analytical results suggested that the removal efficiency of toxic elements was mainly influenced by the apparent structure, particle size, and specific surface area of schwertmannite.

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Novel hybrid metal loaded chelating resins for removal of toxic metals from acid mine drainage

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2020.285 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 81 (12) ◽

pp. 2568-2584

Author(s):

Caroline Lomalungelo Dlamini ◽

Lueta-Ann De Kock ◽

Kebede Keterew Kefeni ◽

Bhekie Brilliance Mamba ◽

Titus Alfred Makudali Msagati

Keyword(s):

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Metal Removal ◽

Chelating Resin ◽

Precipitation Method ◽

Emission Spectrometry ◽

Hybrid Resin ◽

Acid Mine ◽

Metal Levels

Abstract Iron (Fe), zirconium (Zr) and titanium (Ti) oxides nanoparticles were each embedded onto a weak acid chelating resin for support using the precipitation method to generate three hybrid adsorbents of hydrated Fe oxide (HFO-P), hydrated Zr oxide (HZO-P) and hydrated Ti oxide (HTO-P). This paper reports on the characterization, performance and potential of these generated nanoadsorbents in the removal of toxic metal ions from acid mine drainage (AMD). The optimum contact time, adsorbent dose and pH for aluminium (Al) (III) adsorption were established using the batch equilibrium technique. The metal levels were measured using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. The scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results confirmed the presence of the metal oxides within the hybrid resin beads. HFO-P, HZO-P and HTO-P adsorbed Al(III) rapidly from synthetic water with maximum adsorption capacities of 54.04, 58.36 and 40.10 mg/g, respectively, at initial pH 1.80 ± 0.02. The adsorption of Al(III) is of the second-order in nature (R2 > 0.98). The nanosorbents removed ten selected metals from environmental AMD and the metal removal efficiency was in the order HTO-P > HZO-P > HFO-P. All three hybrid nanosorbents can be used to remove metals from AMD; the choice would be dependent on the pH of the water to be treated.

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