Performance of three bench-scale diffusive exchange systems during treatment of acid mine drainage with high copper concentration

Pérez, Norma; Schwarz, Alex; Sanhueza, Pamela; Chaparro, Gustavo

doi:10.5004/dwt.2017.20163

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Figure 3 shows effluent metal concentrations during AMD feeding and Table 2 individual and total metal removal rates and efficiencies. Average metal removal rates in reactors A and B reached 326.6 and 310.8 mmol m −3 day −1 , respectively, values considered normal for biochemical reactors [5]. Nevertheless, metal removal was only partial because the metal load was higher than generated sulfide (evidenced by the low levels of effluent sulfide).…”

Section: Chemical and Biological Process Indicators (Orp Ph Sulfidementioning

confidence: 94%

“…In the case of Chile, the most significant sources of AMD are the cordilleran copper deposits during snowmelt, which are located in the central zone of the country. Recently, research on its treatment has increased [5][6][7][8][9]. A particularity of this AMD is that it presents high concentrations of copper, which can be recovered economically [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the technology is still in development, it has demonstrated the ability to treat concentrated AMD, maintain a diverse microbial community, and sustain hydraulic permeability. Pérez et al [5] implemented three SDES reactors to treat AMD with high copper concentration (528 mg L -1 Cu) using screen tubes to convey the AMD through the reactive bed, achieving both sulfate and metal removal rates of up to 0.33 mol m −3 day −1 (99% metal removal). High copper accumulation was detected at the bottom of the screen tubes, which opens the possibility to recover commercially valuable materials in passive reactors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of Dispersed Alkaline Substrate and Diffusive Exchange System Technologies for the Passive Treatment of Copper Mining Acid Drainage

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The study evaluates the performance of the novel ADES (alkaline diffusive exchange System), SDES (sulfidogenic diffusive exchange system) and DAS (Dispersed Alkaline Substrate) technologies for the passive treatment of high-strength acid mine drainage (AMD) from copper mining (pH~3, 633 mg Cu L−1). The chemical DAS and ADES prototypes showed the best performance in the removal of Cu, Al, and Zn (98–100%), while the biochemical SDES reactors achieved a high sulfate removal rate (average of 0.28 mol m−3 day-1). Notably, the DES technology was effective in protecting the sulfate-reducing communities from the high toxicity of the AMD, and also in maintaining bed permeability, an aspect that was key in the ADES reactor. The DAS reactor showed the highest reactivity, accumulating the metallic precipitates in a lower reactor volume, allowing to conclude that it requires the lowest hydraulic residence time among all the reactors. However, the concentration of precipitates resulted in the formation of a hardpan, which may trigger the need of removing it to avoid compromising the continuity of the treatment process. This study suggests the development of new treatment alternatives by combining the strengths of each technology in combined or serial treatments.

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Section: Chemical and Biological Process Indicators (Orp Ph Sulfidementioning

confidence: 94%