Abstract
A novel, alternative method for acid rock drainage (ARD) remediation and metal recovery has been developed that uses a peat-humic agent (PHA) created by mechanical, chemical, and thermobaric treatment of peat from the Krugloe deposit (Novosibirsk region, Russia). The PHA effectively neutralised moderately acidic ARD and removed potential pollutants (e.g. Fe, Al, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, and Hg), forming metal–organic residues. The organic matter can be removed completely from the metal–organic residues by heating them at 450–500 °C. After this treatment, the metal concentrate residues generally contained aggregates (20–350 μm in size), mainly composed of metal oxides and sulphates. Thermal decomposition of the organic matter in the PHA and metal–organic residues is an exothermic process with significant calorific value (9–15 kJ/g).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 536-546 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Mine Water and the Environment |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 8 Dec 2015 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Special thanks are due to our colleagues (S. Bortnikova, E. Lazareva, O. Galkova, N. Ishuk, L. Ivanova, Zh. Badmaeva and M. Gustaytis) from the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy SB RAS for help in the field and lab work. Grateful acknowledgement for proofreading and correcting of the English go to Professor W. Mike Edmunds. The author thanks the editors and the anonymous reviewers for comments, questions, and careful and helpful reviews. This research was financially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant 11-05-12038-ofi-m-2011) and OPTEC LLC.
Keywords
- Acid mine drainage
- Metal recovery
- Pollution
- Wastewater treatment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Water Science and Technology
- Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology