Settling of Iron and Aluminum Particles in Acid Solutions for Acid Drainage Remediation
Mineral processing is intensive in water usage. Unfortunately, a large portion of this valuable asset is contaminated by toxic species that leach from tailings or mineral ore, leading to the formation of acid drainage. Water from acid drainages can still be recovered by passive environmentally frien...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-07-01
|
| Series: | Water |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/14/2231 |
| _version_ | 1797414848591560704 |
|---|---|
| author | Paula Guerra Julio Valenzuela Consuelo Rámila Giannina Cattaneo |
| author_facet | Paula Guerra Julio Valenzuela Consuelo Rámila Giannina Cattaneo |
| author_sort | Paula Guerra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mineral processing is intensive in water usage. Unfortunately, a large portion of this valuable asset is contaminated by toxic species that leach from tailings or mineral ore, leading to the formation of acid drainage. Water from acid drainages can still be recovered by passive environmentally friendly treatments. An underestimated passive treatment is the settling of harmful metals, such as iron and aluminum. In this sense, floc settling from acid drainage has not been well studied. The objective of this work is to research the phenomena governing iron and aluminum floc settling in acid drainage, particularly, the chemical conditions that promote settling. The settling velocity of iron and aluminum flocs was studied in a column at different pH and iron/aluminum concentrations. Stability was studied through zeta potential. According to the results, iron flocs settle faster than aluminum and aluminum+iron (mixed) flocs, and a lower pH promotes a higher settling velocity and greater floc stability, which a lower zeta potential (which favors aggregation) allows for. The results improve the understanding of the interactions between the chemical and physical processes involved in floc settling, which, in turn, can improve the optimization of water treatment design. Future experiments must include particle size distribution, floc porosity, and effective particle density of iron and/or aluminum particles in acid waters. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:39:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24ca28cc97144bc5a909e69f074e6fdf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:39:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-24ca28cc97144bc5a909e69f074e6fdf2023-12-03T12:25:20ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412022-07-011414223110.3390/w14142231Settling of Iron and Aluminum Particles in Acid Solutions for Acid Drainage RemediationPaula Guerra0Julio Valenzuela1Consuelo Rámila2Giannina Cattaneo3Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Ambiental, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 3939, San Joaquín, Santiago 7820436, ChileDepartamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Minas, Universidad Católica del Norte, Avenida Angamos 0610, Antofagasta 1240000, ChileIndependent Researcher, Santiago 7750000, ChileDepartamento de Ingeniería Química y Ambiental, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 3939, San Joaquín, Santiago 7820436, ChileMineral processing is intensive in water usage. Unfortunately, a large portion of this valuable asset is contaminated by toxic species that leach from tailings or mineral ore, leading to the formation of acid drainage. Water from acid drainages can still be recovered by passive environmentally friendly treatments. An underestimated passive treatment is the settling of harmful metals, such as iron and aluminum. In this sense, floc settling from acid drainage has not been well studied. The objective of this work is to research the phenomena governing iron and aluminum floc settling in acid drainage, particularly, the chemical conditions that promote settling. The settling velocity of iron and aluminum flocs was studied in a column at different pH and iron/aluminum concentrations. Stability was studied through zeta potential. According to the results, iron flocs settle faster than aluminum and aluminum+iron (mixed) flocs, and a lower pH promotes a higher settling velocity and greater floc stability, which a lower zeta potential (which favors aggregation) allows for. The results improve the understanding of the interactions between the chemical and physical processes involved in floc settling, which, in turn, can improve the optimization of water treatment design. Future experiments must include particle size distribution, floc porosity, and effective particle density of iron and/or aluminum particles in acid waters.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/14/2231acid mine drainagepassive treatmentaluminumironflocssettling velocity |
| spellingShingle | Paula Guerra Julio Valenzuela Consuelo Rámila Giannina Cattaneo Settling of Iron and Aluminum Particles in Acid Solutions for Acid Drainage Remediation Water acid mine drainage passive treatment aluminum iron flocs settling velocity |
| title | Settling of Iron and Aluminum Particles in Acid Solutions for Acid Drainage Remediation |
| title_full | Settling of Iron and Aluminum Particles in Acid Solutions for Acid Drainage Remediation |
| title_fullStr | Settling of Iron and Aluminum Particles in Acid Solutions for Acid Drainage Remediation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Settling of Iron and Aluminum Particles in Acid Solutions for Acid Drainage Remediation |
| title_short | Settling of Iron and Aluminum Particles in Acid Solutions for Acid Drainage Remediation |
| title_sort | settling of iron and aluminum particles in acid solutions for acid drainage remediation |
| topic | acid mine drainage passive treatment aluminum iron flocs settling velocity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/14/2231 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT paulaguerra settlingofironandaluminumparticlesinacidsolutionsforaciddrainageremediation AT juliovalenzuela settlingofironandaluminumparticlesinacidsolutionsforaciddrainageremediation AT consueloramila settlingofironandaluminumparticlesinacidsolutionsforaciddrainageremediation AT gianninacattaneo settlingofironandaluminumparticlesinacidsolutionsforaciddrainageremediation |