Efficiency of Bauxsol™ in Permeable Reactive Barriers to Treat Acid Rock Drainage

Abstract

Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) and flow-through reaction cells are fairly new passive treatment alternatives to conventional lime treatment of acidic rock drainage (ARD). They are ideal for the treatment of flowing ARD and are particularly useful when contaminants are likely to persist for several years. This paper describes column tests performed to simulate a PRB constructed using Bauxsol TM , a chemically and physically treated bauxite refinery residue, as a reactive material. This experimentation shows promising results for the Bauxsol TM PRB method in neutralizing pH and removing metals from acidic mine effluents.

Mine Wastes

“…In addition, red mud can be used to treat dairy wastewaters, to remove dyes from wastewater, and to remove metals from solution (e.g. Thus, seawater-neutralized red mud has successfully been applied to neutralize AMD waters and to strip AMD waters of their dissolved metals and metalloids (Clark et al 2009;Harrison 2002;Lapointe et al 2006;McConchie et al 1998McConchie et al , 2000Munro et al 2004;Paradis et al 2007). Seawater-neutralized red mud consists of a mixture of amorphous phases and finely crystalline minerals, including anhydrite/gypsum, quartz, hematite, goethite, anatase, rutile, calcite, aragonite (CaCO 3 ), boehmite (AlO(OH)), brucite (Mg(OH) 2 ), cancrinite ((Na,Ca) 8 (Si 6 Al 6 )O 24 (CO 3 ) 2 ), gibbsite (Al(OH) 3 ), hydrocalumite (Ca 4 Al 2 (OH) 12 (Cl,CO 3 ,OH,H 2 O) 2.5 · 4H 2 O), hydrotalcite (Mg 4 Al 2 (OH) 12 CO 3 · 3H 2 O), portlandite (Ca(OH) 2 ), sodalite (Na 4 (Si 3 Al 3 )O 12 Cl), and whewellite (CaC 2 O 4 · H 2 O) (Harrison 2002;McConchie et al 1998McConchie et al , 2000.…”

A systematic mapping study on the development of permeable reactive barrier for acid mine drainage treatment

“…The industrial wastes such as coal fly ash, slag, and bauxsol as reactive media are also a promising alternative [40][41][42][43][44]. These materials neutralize the pH and effectively remove metals from AMD.…”

Comparison of several different neutralisations to a bauxite refinery residue: Potential effectiveness environmental ameliorants

“…Moreover, the fine-grained nature of the solids also provides potential surface sorption sites (Akhurst et al, 2006;Clark et al, 2011bClark et al, , 2012Collins et al, 2014;Freire, 2011;Genc-Fuhrman et al, 2005, hence BRR and some neutralised derivatives have been used to treat acid mine drainage (AMD), acidic sediments and soils, and industrial effluents Despland et al, 2011;Munro et al, 2004). In addition, BRR and some neutralised derivatives have successfully been used as a landfill cover, odour reducers, catalysts, road base, fertilizer filler, permeable reactive barriers, as a clay cap, ceramics and glass-ceramic manufacture, geo-polymers, construction materials, and synthetic soils (Barbhuiya et al, 2011a(Barbhuiya et al, , 2011b(Barbhuiya et al, , 2010Despland et al, 2011;Lapointe et al, 2006;Lin et al, 2002;McPharlin et al, 1994;Ordonez et al, 2001;Pan et al, 2003 …”