New perspectives on the passive treatment of ferruginous circumneutral mine waters in the UK

This paper examines major physico-chemical processes during the passive treatment of ferruginous circumneutral drainage from abandoned coal mines in the UK. Data collected over several years of studies on mine water treatment systems shed new light on the relative importance of hydraulics, settling velocity, Fe(II) oxidation rates and cascade aeration, which, in turn, informs the design of future systems. This paper demonstrates that (1) the complex settling behaviour of Fe(III) precipitates may be described by a first-order volumetric process and that settling rate is different for different mine waters; (2) the hydraulic efficiency (ratio of time to peak tracer concentration to nominal residence time) of the settling ponds studied was widely variable at low flow rates in comparison to constructed wetlands; (3) aeration cascades contribute dissolved oxygen and lead to a rise in pH due to CO₂ degassing, which are very important in reducing the required time for iron oxidation and removal; (4) for at least 10 of the 30 sites examined, modelling of the rates of Fe(II) oxidation and particulate settling reveals that removal of iron is primarily dependent on settling rate; and (5) that substantial increases in pH can be brought about by forced aeration of mine water over several hours. Findings of this study apply to the majority of coal mine water treatment sites in the UK and may have broader application to other ferruginous waters with circumneutral pH or after treatment to increase pH.     

Impact of uranium mines closure and abandonment on groundwater quality

The aim of the study is to assess the evolving mine water quality of closed uranium mines (abandoned between 1958 and 1992) in the Czech Republic. This paper focuses on the changes in mine water quality over time and spatial variability. In 2010, systematic monitoring of mine water quality was performed at all available locations of previous uranium exploitation. Gravity flow discharges (mine adits, uncontrolled discharges) or shafts (in dynamic state or stagnating) were sampled. Since the quality of mine water results from multiple conditions—geology, type of sample, sampling depth, time since mine flooding, an assessment of mine water quality evolution was done taking into account all these conditions. Multivariate analyses were applied in order to identify the groups of samples based on their similarity. Evaluation of hydrogeochemical equilibrium and evolution of mine waters was done using the Geochemist’s Workbench and PHREEQC software. The sampling proved that uranium concentrations in mine waters did not predominantly exceed 0.45 mg/L. In case of discharges from old adits abandoned more than 40 years ago, uranium concentrations were below the MCL of US Environmental Protection Agency for uranium in drinking water (0.03 mg/L). Higher concentrations, up to 1.23 mg/L of U, were found only at active dewatered mines. Activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra varied from 0.03 up to 1.85 Bq/L except for two sites with increased background values due to rock formation (granites). Radium has a typically increasing trend after mine abandonment with a large variability. Concerning metals in mine water, Al, Co and Ni exceeded legislative limits on two sites with low pH waters. The mine water quality changes with a focus on uranium mobility were described from recently dewatered mines to shafts with water level maintained in order to prevent outflows to surface water and finally to stagnating shafts and discharges of mine water from old adits. The results were in good agreement with published experience on mine water stratification, its disturbance by pumping or natural water decant and the “first flush” phenomenon after mine flooding.     

Application of flotation for the separation of metal-loaded zeolites

Several industrial wastewater streams may contain heavy metal ions, which must be effectively removed, before the discharge or reuse of treated waters could take place. Different bonding materials, presenting selectivity and fast reaction kinetics for the removal of metals, have been examined for this purpose. The objective of the present paper was to investigate the application of dispersed-air flotation for the separation of metal-loaded sorbents. Two similar zeolite samples were applied as effective bonding agents for the removal of zinc, a toxic metal commonly found in many industrial wastewaters. This combined process, termed sorptive flotation, involves the preliminary scavenging of metal ions, by using the appropriate sorbent particles (usually present as ultrafine particulates), followed by flotation for the effective separation of them. The obtained results were very promising, as both metal and sorbent were effectively removed/separated from the dispersion.     

Multiple copper adsorption and regeneration by zeolite 4A synthesized from bauxite tailings

Copper ions were first adsorbed by zeolite 4A synthesized from bauxite tailings, the desorption of Cu(II) using Na₂EDTA solutions was performed, and the recycling of zeolite 4A in adsorption and desorption was systematically investigated. It was observed that the Cu(II) removal efficiency was directly dependent on the initial pH value. The maximum removal efficiency of Cu(II) was 96.2% with zeolite 4A when the initial pH value was 5.0. Cu(II) was completely absorbed in the first 30 min. It was also observed that the desorption efficiency and zeolite recovery were highly dependent on the initial pH and concentration of Na₂EDTA in the solution. The desorption efficiency and percent of zeolite recovered were 73.6 and 85.9%, respectively, when the Na₂EDTA solution concentration was 0.05 mol L^?1 and the pH value was 8. The recovered zeolites were pure single phase and highly crystalline. After 3 cycles, the removal efficiency of Cu(II) was as high as 78.9%, and the zeolite recovery was 46.9%, indicating that the recovered zeolites have good adsorption capacity and can repeatedly absorb Cu(II).

     

An improved inventory of methane emissions from coal mining in the United States

Past efforts to estimate methane emissions from underground mines, surface mines, and other coal mine operations have been hampered, to different degrees, by a lack of direct emissions data. Direct measurements have been completely unavailable for several important coal mining operations. A primary goal of this study was to collect new methane emissions measurements and other data for the most poorly characterized mining operations and use these data to develop an improved methane emission inventory for the U.S. coal mining industry. This required the development and verification of measurement methods for surface mines, coal handling operations, and abandoned underground mines and the use of these methods at about 30 mining sites across the United States. Although the study's focus was on surface mines, abandoned underground mines, and coal handling operations, evaluations were also conducted to improve our understanding of underground mine emission trends and to develop improved national data sets of coal properties. Total U.S. methane emissions are estimated to be 4.669 million tons, and as expected, emissions from underground mine ventilation and methane drainage systems dominate (74% of the total emissions). On the other hand, emissions from coal handling, abandoned underground mines, and surface mines are significant, and collectively they represent approximately 26% of the total emissions.     

Magnetic ion exchange treatment of stabilized landfill leachate

Stabilized landfill leachate is characterized by a high concentration of non-biodegradable organic matter, which is similar in chemistry to dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the natural aquatic environment. Magnetic ion exchange (MIEX) resin treatment is well-studied in drinking water for removal of DOM from natural waters. There are fewer studies evaluating MIEX treatment of waste waters, and there is no previous work evaluating MIEX treatment of landfill leachate. This work systematically evaluated MIEX treatment of stabilized landfill leachate and evaluated the results in the context of previous studies of MIEX treatment of natural and waste waters. Five leachates from four landfills were evaluated as a function of MIEX resin dose, mixing time, and regeneration efficiency. MIEX resin removed DOM from landfill leachate, even in the presence of a reported high background concentration of inorganic ions. MIEX resin that was exhausted with leachate DOM was effectively regenerated with a concentrated NaCl solution, and regenerated MIEX resin performed similarly to virgin resin. For a majority of the leachates, the removal trend for MIEX resin was color > UV-absorbing substances > dissolved organic carbon ≈ COD > total nitrogen. Finally, MIEX resin removed a wider range of DOM from leachate than coagulation. The most important contribution of this work is that MIEX treatment of leachate followed very similar trends as MIEX treatment of natural waters, which will allow previous MIEX data to be used to estimate the treatment efficiency of other waste waters.     

Filter materials for metal removal from mine drainage—a review

A large number of filter materials, organic and inorganic, for removal of heavy metals in mine drainage have been reviewed. Bark, chitin, chitosan, commercial ion exchangers, dairy manure compost, lignite, peat, rice husks, vegetal compost, and yeast are examples of organic materials, while bio-carbons, calcareous shale, dolomite, fly ash, limestone, olivine, steel slag materials and zeolites are examples of inorganic materials. The majority of these filter materials have been investigated in laboratory studies, based on various experimental set-ups (batch and/or column tests) and different conditions. A few materials, for instance steel slag materials, have also been subjects to field investigations under real-life conditions. The results from these investigations show that steel slag materials have the potential to remove heavy metals under different conditions. Ion exchange has been suggested as the major metal removal mechanisms not only for steel slag but also for lignite. Other suggested removal mechanisms have also been identified. Adsorption has been suggested important for activated carbon, precipitation for chitosan and sulphate reduction for olivine. General findings indicate that the results with regard to metal removal vary due to experimental set ups, composition of mine drainage and properties of filter materials and the discrepancies between studies renders normalisation of data difficult. However, the literature reveals that Fe, Zn, Pb, Hg and Al are removed to a large extent. Further investigations, especially under real-life conditions, are however necessary in order to find suitable filter materials for treatment of mine drainage.     

饮用水中蓝藻毒素污染研究进展

日趋严重的水体富营养化已成为全球性的环境问题,藻类及藻毒素给传统净水工艺带来了诸多不利影响,增加了水处理难度.对饮用水中蓝藻毒素去除技术进行了具体的论述,系统分析了各种技术的去除效果和局限性,并对藻毒素研究前景进行了展望.     

饮用水中蓝藻毒素污染研究进展

日趋严重的水体富营养化已成为全球性的环境问题，藻类及藻毒素给传统净水工艺带来了诸多不利影响，增加了水处理难度。对饮用水中蓝藻毒素去除技术进行了具体的论述，系统分析了各种技术的去除效果和局限性，并对藻毒素研究前景进行了展望。     

Cu(II) removal from aqueous solution using Dogantepe (Amasya) zeolites

This paper investigates the effects of zeolite particle size, zeolite/ solution ratio and stirring time on the performance of zeolites from Dogantepe in removing Cu(II) from aqueous solution to establish optimum operating conditions. The results indicated that the size of the zeolite samples, the concentration of Cu(II) and the zeolite/solution ratio affected the removal efficiencies, whilst the stirring time was found to have no significant effect on the removal efficiencies. The equivalent numbers of sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium ions passed into the Cu(II) solution were found to be 1.196, 0.208, 0.117 and 0.009 meq/l, respectively, and the passing percentages of these ions were calculated to be 11.27, 2.45, 1.57 and 0.37%, respectively. The removal mechanism of Cu(II) with zeolite samples was mainly ion exchange with a fraction of approximately 65%. The maximum exchange capacities obtained by using Dogantepe zeolites, Yavu zeolites, and synthetic resin were found to be 9.2, 7.0 and 72.7 mg/g, respectively. However, in relatively low concentrations of Cu(II), the differences in the removal efficiencies or exchange capacities obtained for above different three materials were significantly decreased.     

Assessment of Ni accumulation capability by fungi for a possible approach to remove metals from soils and waters

ABSTRACT

Abandoned industrial sites and mines may constitute possible hazards for surrounding environment due to the presence of toxic compounds that may contaminate soils and waters. The possibility to remove metal contaminants, specifically nickel (Ni), by means of fungi was presented exploiting a set of fungal strains isolated from a Ligurian dismissed mine. The achieved results demonstrate the high Ni(II) tolerance, up to 500 mg Ni l^?1, and removal capability of a Trichoderma harzianum strain. This latter hyperaccumulates up to 11,000 mg Ni kg^?1, suggesting its possible use in a bioremediation protocol able to provide a sustainable reclamation of broad contaminated areas.     

An Improved Inventory of Methane Emissions from Coal Mining in the United States

ABSTRACT

Past efforts to estimate methane emissions from underground mines, surface mines, and other coal mine operations have been hampered, to different degrees, by a lack of direct emissions data. Direct measurements have been completely unavailable for several important coal mining operations. A primary goal of this study was to collect new methane emissions measurements and other data for the most poorly characterized mining operations and use these data to develop an improved methane emission inventory for the U.S. coal mining industry. This required the development and verification of measurement methods for surface mines, coal handling operations, and abandoned underground mines and the use of these methods at about 30 mining sites across the United States. Although the study's focus was on surface mines, abandoned underground mines, and coal handling operations, evaluations were also conducted to improve our understanding of underground mine emission trends and to develop improved national data sets of coal properties. Total U.S.     

Haneş and Valea Vinului (Romania) closed mines Acid Mine Drainages (AMDs) – Actual condition and passive treatment remediation proposal

Acid Mine Drainages (AMDs) from Hane? and Valea Vinului (Romania) closed mines were considered for characterization and treatment using a local zeolitic volcanic tuff, ZVT, (M?cica?, Cluj County, Romania). Water samples were collected from two locations, before and after discharging point in case of Hane? mine, and on three horizons in case of Valea Vinului mine. Physico-chemical (pH, total solid, heavy metal ions concentration) analyses showed that the environment is strongly affected by these AMD discharges even if the mines were closed years ago. Iron, manganese and zinc were the main pollutants identified in Hane? mine AMD, while zinc is the one mainly present in case of Valea Vinului AMD. A batch technique (no stirring) in which the ZVT was put in contact with the AMD sample was proposed as a passive remediation technique. ZVT successfully remove heavy metal ion from AMD. According to heavy metal ion concentrations, removal efficiencies are reaching 100%, varying as follows, Fe²⁺ > Zn²⁺ > Mn²⁺. When the ZVT was compared with two cationic resins (strong, SAR and weak acid, WAR) the following series was depicted, SAR > ZVT > WAR.     

Effect of copper(II) on natural organic matter removal during drinking water coagulation using aluminum-based coagulants.

Coagulation has been proposed as a best available technology for controlling natural organic matter (NOM) during drinking water treatment. The presence of heavy metals such as copper(II) in source water, which may form copper-NOM complexes and/or interact with a coagulant, may pose a potential challenge on the coagulation of NOM. In this work, the effect of copper(II) on NOM removal by coagulation using alum or PAX-18 (a commercial polymerized aluminum chloride from Kemiron Inc., Bartow, Florida) was examined. The results show that the presence of 1 to 10 mg/L of copper(H) in the simulated waters improved the total organic carbon (TOC) removal by up to 25% for alum coagulation and by up to 22% for PAX-18 coagulation. The increased NOM removal with the presence of copper(II) in the waters can most likely be ascribed to the formation copper-NOM complexes that may be more adsorbable on aluminum precipitates and to the formation of copper(II) co-precipitates that may also adsorb NOM. The presence of 1 to 5 mg/L of copper(I) in the waters containing 3 mg/L NOM as carbon was reduced below the maximum contaminant level goal (1.3 mg/L as copper) using either coagulant. The results suggest that the presence of copper(H) in source water may not adversely affect the NOM removal by coagulation. A good linear correlation was observed between the TOC removal efficiency and the log-total moles of the precipitated metals, which include the metal ion from a coagulant and the divalent metal ion(s) in source water.     

Competitive removal of pharmaceuticals from environmental waters by adsorption and photocatalytic degradation

This work explores the competitive removal of pharmaceuticals from synthetic and environmental waters by combined adsorption-photolysis treatment. Five drugs usually present in waterways have been used as target compounds, some are pseudo-persistent pollutants (carbamazepine, clofibric acid, and sulfamethoxazole) and others are largely consumed (diclofenac and ibuprofen). The effect of the light source on adsorption of drugs onto activated carbons followed by photolysis with TiO₂ was assessed, being UV-C light the most effective for drug removal in both deionized water and river water. Different composites prepared from titania nanoparticles and powdered activated carbons were tested in several combined adsorption-photocatalysis assays. The composites prepared by calcination at 400 °C exhibited much better performance than those synthesized at 500 °C, being the C400 composite the most effective one. Furthermore, some synthetic waters containing dissolved species and environmental waters were used to investigate the effect of the aqueous matrix on each drug removal. In general, photocatalyst deactivation was found in synthetic and environmental waters. This was particularly evident in the experiments performed with bicarbonate ions as well as with wastewater effluent. In contrast, tests conducted in seawater showed adsorption and photocatalytic degradation yields comparable to those obtained in deionized water. Considering the peculiarities of substrate competition in each aqueous matrix, the combined adsorption-photolysis treatment generally increased the overall elimination of drugs in water.     

溴化十六烷基吡啶改性沸石对水中甲基橙的吸附

采用溴化十六烷基吡啶(CPB)对天然沸石进行改性制备得到了CPB改性沸石,通过批量吸附实验考察了CPB改性沸石对水中阴离子染料甲基橙的去除作用。结果表明,天然沸石对水中甲基橙的吸附能力很差,而CPB改性沸石则可以有效吸附去除水中的甲基橙。CPB改性沸石对水中甲基橙的吸附能力随CPB负载量的增加而增加,CPB负载量最大的改性沸石对水中甲基橙的吸附能力最强。双分子层CPB改性沸石对水中甲基橙的去除率随吸附剂投加量的增加而增加,而CPB改性沸石对水中甲基橙的单位吸附量则随吸附剂投加量的增加而降低。双分子层CPB改性沸石对水中甲基橙的吸附平衡数据可以采用Langmuir等温吸附模型加以描述。根据Langmuir模型计算得到的CPB负载量为341 mmol/(kg沸石)的双分子层CPB改性沸石对水中甲基橙的最大吸附容量为63.7 mg/g(303 K和pH 7)。准二级动力学模型适合用于描述双分子层CPB改性沸石对水中甲基橙的吸附动力学过程。pH和反应温度对双分子层CPB改性沸石吸附水中甲基橙的影响较小。以上结果说明,双分子层CPB改性沸石适合作为一种吸附剂用于去除废水中的甲基橙。     

粘土矿物材料吸附去除水中痕量邻苯二甲酸酯

研究了天然沸石、2种有机改性沸石及Mg/Al水滑石对水中痕量邻苯二甲酸二甲酯、邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基己基)酯和邻苯二甲酸二辛酯的等温吸附情况和吸附机理,并与活性炭的吸附性能进行了比较。结果表明,Freundlich和Langmuir吸附等温方程均可以很好地描述天然沸石和Mg/Al水滑石对邻苯二甲酸酯的吸附,2种有机改性沸石对邻苯二甲酸酯的吸附更符合Linear吸附等温方程。与活性炭相比,天然沸石对邻苯二甲酸酯的吸附效果较差;2种有机改性沸石和Mg/Al水滑石对分子尺寸较小的邻苯二甲酸酯物质邻苯二甲酸二甲酯的去除率较低,分别低31.8%、31.4%和19.8%,但对分子较大的邻苯二甲酸酯物质邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基己基)酯和邻苯二甲酸二辛酯的去除效果相差不大。     

In vitro gastro-intestinal method for the assessment of heavy metal bioavailability in contaminated soils

Introduction  

Balya and its associated villages which is a town of the Balikesir region of Turkey have very rich zinc, lead, and manganese mines. These mines have been operating since the thirteenth century and now there is heavy metal contamination in both the soil and natural waters in these areas.     

湿地底质环境对不同浓度污水的净化效果

实验以扎龙湿地底泥做为介质,模拟表面流湿地系统,研究了不同底质和进水浓度对表面流湿地净化效率及其稳定性的影响。通过对各个指标去除率均值,变异系数和方差的综合分析,表明在本实验设计的高、中、低3种浓度梯度下,高、中浓度进水时,湿地底质的净化效果更好。粘土对TN、NO3--N去除效果最好,粉砂土对NH4+-N、COD去除效果较好。3种底质对磷的去除效果没有显著差异。此外,随着进水浓度的不同,底质因素的影响也发生相应的变化。即粘土和粉砂土的去除率受进水浓度影响大,亚砂土的去除效果相对稳定。实验结果客观反映了扎龙湿地不同底质地段的净化污水功能,为表面流人工湿地净化不同浓度的污水水质和选择最佳净化效果的湿地底质提供理论依据。     

Acid mine drainage in the Iberian Pyrite Belt: 2. Lessons learned from recent passive remediation experiences

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), SW Spain and Portugal, contains about 100 abandoned mine wastes and galleries that release acid mine drainages (AMD) to the Tinto and Odiel rivers. In situ passive remediation technologies are especially suitable to remediate the drainages of these orphan sites. However, traditional remediation systems, designed for coal mines, have been demonstrated inefficient to treat the IPB mine waters. Due to their high acidity and metal loads, large amount of solids precipitate and fast clogging of porosity or passivation (coating) of the reactive grains occurs. To overcome these problems, the dispersed alkaline substrate (DAS) a mixture of fine-grained limestone sand and a coarse inert matrix (e.g., wood shavings) was developed. The small grains provide a large reactive surface and dissolve almost completely before the growing layer of precipitates passivates the substrate. The high porosity retards clogging. However, calcite dissolution only raises pH to values around 6.5, at which the hydroxides of trivalent metals (Al and Fe) precipitate, but it is not high enough to remove divalent metals. Caustic magnesia (MgO) buffers the solution pH between 8.5 and 10. A DAS system replacing limestone with caustic magnesia has been tested to be very efficient to remove divalent metals (Zn, Cd, Mn, Cu, Co, Ni, and Pb) from the water previously treated with calcite.