Physicochemical Characteristics of Acid Mine Drainage, Simultaneous Remediation and Use as Feedstock for Value Added Products
Abstract
In this study, the use of acid mine drainage as alternative source of ferric ion for the synthesis of iron nanoparticles was investigated. The physical and chemical characteristics of acid mine drainage from Navigation coal mine and the West Rand mine, South Africa were conducted. The synthesised iron nanoparticles were compared with iron nanoparticles prepared from commercial reagents by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area determination. The iron nanoparticles were utilised for the treatment of acid mine drainage. Experimental results showed that the characteristics of acid mine drainage samples differ from site to site due to the differences in their geological composition, chemical deposition, rate of oxidation, and availability of pyrite ores. The Toeseep acid mine drainage feedstock from Navigation coal mine was found to contain the highest concentration of iron (4219.14mgL-1) thus; it was regarded to be a suitable source of iron, sulphate (21,317.79mgL-1) was the predominant anion. The synthesised iron nanoparticles were crystalline and spherical in shape, with average particle size of 31.8nm or 28.05nm and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 88±3.16m2g-1 or 91±3.08m2g-1 for the iron nanoparticles synthesised from acid mine drainage or ferric chloride, respectively. The optimisation of the iron nanoparticles dosage and contact time for the treatment of Navigation Toeseep acid mine drainage was determined to be 0.1g and 60min, respectively. The toxic elements in the raw acid mine drainage were removed with over 75% efficiency.
Recommended Citation
M. J. Alegbe et al., "Physicochemical Characteristics of Acid Mine Drainage, Simultaneous Remediation and Use as Feedstock for Value Added Products," Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, vol. 7, no. 3, article no. 103097, Elsevier, Jun 2019.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2019.103097
Department(s)
Mining Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Acid mine drainage; Coal mines; Iron nanoparticles; Remediation; Sodium borohydride; Wastewater
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2213-3437
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2024 Elsevier, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jun 2019
