Improvement of water recovery from phosphate sludge at the M'Dhilla Mine, Tunisia.

In Tunisia, phosphate beneficiation from ores by the Gafsa Phosphate Company (GPC) is a water-intensive process that generates large amounts of sludge. Responsible mining minimizes water use and prioritizes its recycling and reuse to limit the impact on water resources. Recovery of water from the phosphate sludge (PS) using the densification with adapted flocculants-a low-energy consuming process-is plausible for efficient management of water resources. The objective of this study was to improve low-cost water recovery from PS produced at the M'Dhilla Mine plant operated by GPC in Tunisia. Representative samples of PS were first collected and characterized for physicochemical and mineralogical properties. To maximize water recovery, densification based on flocculation was then performed using two different flocculants (Slim Floc vs Flomin 905) with different doses (0.1 g/L vs 0.3 g/L), consumption (100-1200 g per ton of dry sludge g/tds), sludge concentration (50 g/L vs 60 g/L), and settling time (15-1200 s). Results showed that PS particles were fine-grained and contained carbonates, silicates, and significant residual fluorapatite (59%) that could be valorized. Up to 91% of water was recovered using anionic flocculant Flomin 905. These findings show an improvement of 24% relative to the current water recovery at M'Dhilla plant (66%) while using a flocculant dose three times lower than the conventional flocculent Sim Floc (0.1 g/L vs 0.3 g/L). The best sludge settlement conditions were obtained with 0.1 g/L Flomin 905 at 600 g/tds and 10 min of settling time. The densification process using Flomin 905 proved efficient in maximizing water recovery (91%) with a consumption of flocculant that could be decreased by up to 70% annually in comparison with Slim Floc, thus decreasing treatment costs by 63%. Results will help to prevent exhaustion of groundwater resources and limit land exploitation while decreasing the volume of settling ponds.

Electro-Fenton treatment of contaminated mine water to decrease thiosalts toxicity to Daphnia magna.

Treatment of organic contaminants using the electro-Fenton (EF) process is efficient but generates toxic by-products. The aim of the present study was to assess the residual toxicity associated to the treatment of real mine effluents using EF and to perform a preliminary techno-economic analysis to compare the costs of different techniques. Two mine effluents from northern Quebec with different concentrations of thiosalts (MElow and MEhigh) were tested for acute toxicity to Daphnia magna, before and after EF treatment. The higher toxicity of untreated MElow compared to MEhigh, despite its lower thiosalts content (58 vs 199 mg/L), suggests the presence of an unidentified toxic species, which was removed during EF treatment, or that higher thiosalts concentrations mitigate the toxicity of other toxicants. EF treatment of MEhigh, initially non-acutely toxic (50% mortality), resulted in the elimination of D. magna mortality. A preliminary techno-economic analysis conducted for northern Quebec vs the rest of Canada and the USA showed that energy consumption was the main contributor (52-95%) to the total operating costs. Electricity-related costs nearly doubled (55%) for northern Quebec relative to the rest of Canada. These findings provide new insights for the potential application of the EF for the treatment of thiosalts in mine water, for operations in central jurisdictions and in remote northern areas.

Behaviour of flotation tailings from a rare earth element deposit at high salinity.

Various rare earth element (REE) deposits hosted by carbonatite complexes have been identified in southern (Montviel, Niobec) and northern Quebec (Eldor deposit). During the winter in Quebec, the use of road salts to facilitate transportation on the mine site and/or avoid water freezing during mine operation may be necessary. The sources of salinity can be diverse on a mine site: process water, precipitation, alteration of minerals in the soil. Thus, tailings may come in contact with these salts and react. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of salinity on the behaviour of flotation tailings (Eldor deposit), i.e. the mobility of the elements contained in the tailings under these conditions and the environmental risks involved. For this purpose, leaching column tests were developed. The solutions were deionized water (CW column), NaCl (25 g/L; CS1 column) and CaCl2 (25 g/L; CS2 column). The leachate analysis revealed that the divalent cations (Ba, Cd, Mg, Mn, Sr, and Zn) are more mobile in the presence of CaCl2 (CaCl2 > NaCl > deionized water). The mobility of these elements appears to be governed by the competition with Ca2+ for tailings sorption sites. U and Sc are most mobile in the presence of salts regardless of the applied salt solution, i.e. CaCl2 = NaCl > deionized water. The formation of soluble chloride complexes with these elements could therefore be the cause of this phenomenon. For S, the leaching solution has no impact on its mobility. In conclusion, the presence of salts would tend to increase the mobility of divalent cations present in these residues and enhance their contamination potential. Modeling using PHREEQC software allowed comparison of these results with post-dismantling mineralogical characterization. Both methods showed: (i) total dissolution of fluorite [CaF2], galena [PbS], richterite [Na(CaNa(Mg,Fe2+)5[Si8O22](OH)] and Ba silicate; (ii) precipitation of iron oxides/hydroxides and silicate minerals. However, the modeling was unable to predict the behaviour of carbonate minerals. Further modeling tests involving kinetics should be considered in a future study.

Electro-Fenton beyond the Degradation of Organics: Treatment of Thiosalts in Contaminated Mine Water.

Electro-Fenton (EF) is an emerging technology with well-known outstanding oxidation power; yet, its application to the treatment of inorganic contaminants has been largely disregarded. Thiosalts are contaminants of emerging concern in mine water, responsible for delayed acidity in natural waterways. In this study, EF was used to treat thiosalts in synthetic and real mine water. Thiosulfate (S2O32-) solutions were first used to optimize the main parameters affecting the process, namely, the current density (2.08-6.25 mA cm-2), temperature (4 vs 20 °C), and S2O32- concentration (0.25-2 g L-1). S2O32- was almost completely removed in 2 h of treatment at 6.25 mA cm-2, while temperature played no important role in the process efficiency. The optimal conditions were then applied to treat a real sample of contaminated mine water, resulting in complete S2O32- and S4O62- oxidation to SO42- in 90 min at 6.25 mA cm-2 (95% removal in only 60 min). The reaction mechanisms were investigated in detail based on the quantification of the main degradation byproducts. This study opens new possibilities for EF application to the treatment of thiosalt-contaminated mine water and other oxidizable inorganic-impacted wastewaters.

Optimized indium solubilization from LCD panels using H2SO4 leaching.

Spent liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are a secondary source of precious/strategic metals, including indium (In). The present study involved optimizing the solubilization of this strategic element from samples of indium tin oxide (ITO) glass prepared from LCD screens of computer monitors and laptop screens. The influence of operating conditions on In solubilization, as well as optimum conditions for sulfuric acid leaching were defined by a Box-Behnken-type experimental design methodology. Optimum operating conditions include a leaching step for 30 min at a temperature of 70 °C in the presence of 0.4 N H2SO4 and a pulp density of 50% (w/v). Under these conditions, the quadratic model established to predict the solubilization of In from ITO glass samples provided an In solubilization efficiency of 89.7%, which was validated experimentally (99.5%). The analysis of direct operating costs and capital costs for the implementation of such a leaching process revealed that the process is conceivable for a high-capacity plant processing ~100 t/day of ITO glass.

Manganese removal processes and geochemical behavior in residues from passive treatment of mine drainage.

Efficiency of Mn passive treatment from mine drainage (MD) is limited, in the presence of Fe, because of the wide stability field of dissolved Mn(II) species. Physicochemical and mineralogical characterization, as well as static leaching tests at pH 7 (CTEU-9) of four samples were performed to assess Mn immobilization processes from MD and post-treatment stability of residues. Samples consisted of half-calcined dolomite, from three column reactors that treated Mn in MD. The first residue originated from real acid mine drainage treatment (R-AMD; pH 2.4; 623 mg/L Fe; 22 mg/L Mn), the second from real contaminated neutral drainage (R-CND; pH 6.7; 0.6 mg/L Mn) and the third from synthetic CND (S-CND; pH 6.8; 47 mg/L Mn). A sample of calcite (CAL) was also collected in a field oxic limestone drain that treats AMD (pH 4.1; 10.2 mg/L Fe; 12.4 mg/L Mn) on a closed mine site. Mineralogical analyses showed Mn immobilization in the form of MnOx. In R-AMD residues, Fe and Al concentrations almost doubled relative to half calcined dolomite before MD treatment, while Mn removal was inefficient. In S-CND residues, high concentrations of Mn were immobilized (>6.6 g/kg). The mineralogy of R-AMD residues showed that Fe precipitates coated the dolomite, in the form of Fe-(oxy)hydroxysulfates. Half-calcined dolomite is effective for Mn removal in S-CND, but Fe inhibits Mn treatment in AMD. Metal(loid)s in eluates were below the threshold limits, but the pH of R-CND (11.1) and S-CND (10.5) residues no longer met the discharge criteria (pH 6.0 to 9.5).

Assessment of the leaching potential of flotation tailings from rare earth mineral extraction in cold climates.

Increasing use of rare earth elements (REEs) in modern technologies and existing or expected imbalances between demand and supply have led many countries, including Canada, to consider the exploitation of their own REEs primary sources. The objective of this study is a thorough characterization of the flotation tailings generated during the pre-concentration of REEs from a carbonatite type deposit with the aim of predicting their geochemical behaviour over time. These tailings were characterized based on physicochemical and mineralogical properties. Weathering cells were also used to assess the impact of temperature (3 and 19 °C) on the geochemical behaviour of the tailings exposed to a sub-arctic climate. Because the tailings consisted mainly of carbonates (97.4%) and had very high neutralization potential (859 kg CaCO3/t) relative to their acidity potential (3.94 kg CaCO3/t), no acid mine drainage (AMD) is anticipated. Compared to regional environmental standards and guidelines, the concentrations of Cd (0.20 µg/l), Zn (17 µg/l), and Pb (close to 4 µg/l) in leachates obtained during kinetic testing may be considered as potentially problematic. Finally, the results of the weathering cells at 3 °C indicate that the exposure to low temperatures may increase the concentrations of elements leached from the tailings. This study confirms that low temperatures and freeze-thaw events, which occur readily in a sub-arctic climate, may impact the geochemical behaviour of tailings produced from the extraction of REEs from carbonatite type deposit.

Geochemical behavior and stabilization of spent sulfate-reducing biofilter mixtures for treatment of acid mine drainage.

Sulfate-reducing biofilters operated in semi-passive or passive modes constitute an approach of choice for treatment of acidic mining effluents. The aim of the present study involved examining the behavior of biofilters after use based on two modes of management, namely in unsaturated and saturated media. Two acidophilic biofilters were investigated following their mixing with different alkaline industrial residues (i.e., 25% fly ash biomass or 30% aluminum red mud, or 10% kiln dust). Percolation column tests for a 330-d period indicated that aluminum red mud and lime kiln dust (to a lesser extent) are efficient materials for maintaining the pH neutrality of biofilter leachate and to reduce release of metals (i.e., Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in spent biofilters. The storage of biofilters in saturated mode also makes it possible to preserve the reducing conditions of the environment and neutrality of the pH and to limit the dissolution of the solution of cadmium, nickel and zinc. Conversely, increased iron release is noted under saturated conditions. Finally, the results indicated that a mixture of biofilters and lime kiln dust is preferable to surface addition of these to reduce the loss of metals in leachates.

Techno-economic assessment of an hydrometallurgical process to simultaneously remove As, Cr, Cu, PCP and PCDD/F from contaminated soil.

Industrial activities lead to the contamination of large amounts of soils polluted by both inorganic and organic compounds, which are difficult to treat due to different chemical properties. The efficiency of a decontamination process developed to simultaneously remove mixed contamination of industrial soils was evaluated at the pilot-scale, as well as operating costs associated to that process to define the best remediation approach. The results showed that the treatment of the coarse fractions (>0.250 mm) of 40 kg of soil by attrition in countercurrent mode allowed the removal of 17-42% of As, 3-31% of Cr, 20-38% of Cu, and 64-75% of polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/F). Removals of 60% for As, 2.2% for Cr, 23% for Cu, and 74% for PCDD/F were obtained during the treatment of attrition sludge (<0.250 mm) by alkaline leaching process. However, the results of the techno-economic evaluation, carried out on a fixed plant with an annual treatment capacity of 7560 tons of soil treated (tst), showed that the estimated overall costs for the attrition process alone [scenario 1] (CAD$ 451/tst) were lower than the costs of the process, which additionally includes an alkaline leaching step to treat attrition sludge [scenario 2] (CAD$ 579/tst). This techno-economic evaluation also showed that the process becomes competitive with current disposal options (thermal desorption and landfilling - CAD$ 600/tst) from a certain treatment capacity, which is around of 3465 tst/yr for the scenario 1 and 6930 tst/yr for the scenario 2. On the other hand, the techno-economic evaluations are crucial to selecting feasible decontamination process for a soil remediation project, with considerations of the type of contamination, site characteristics and cost effectiveness.

Effect of the electrocoagulation process on the toxicity of gold mine effluents: A comparative assessment of Daphnia magna and Daphnia pulex.

Mine effluents must meet discharge criteria for both physicochemical parameters and toxicity. While chemical precipitation is efficient for the treatment of metallic elements in mine effluents, the removal of sulfates, as a source of salinity and potential toxicity, is limited by gypsum solubility. This study evaluated the efficiency of electrocoagulation (EC), an emerging process to treat mine water, in removing sulfates and acute toxicity in two gold mine effluents (E1 and E2), before and after treatment (Fe-electrodes, 30 min at 20 mA/cm2, and pH near neutrality). Standard toxicity tests were conducted on two daphnia species, Daphnia magna (standard test species) and Daphnia pulex (more common in cold climate). Four uncontaminated surface waters (S#1 to S#4), which originated from different watershed lithologies, were also used as dilution media with E1 to assess water quality effect on toxicity response. Statistical analyses using the Student's t-test showed no significant difference in immobility or mortality caused by surface waters on either D. magna or D. pulex species (p > 0.05). However, higher toxicity was observed with both daphnia when reconstituted hard water was used for testing of the treated effluent E2. The present study highlights the toxicity effect added by EC despite a sulfates-related salinity decrease of >7.5%. Further research should identify and confirm the potential sources of observed toxicity.

Prediction of physical separation of metals from soils contaminated with municipal solid waste ashes and metallurgical residues.

Environmental legislation is forcing industrialized countries to rehabilitate contaminated lands. Expensive solutions are available to treat soils contaminated by metals (e.g., solidification, stabilization, and landfilling). Physical remediation techniques, which are less expensive, are able to efficiently separate metals from contaminated soils under specific physical conditions. In the current study, densimetric and mineralogical characterization of fractions of soil between 0.25 and 4 mm contaminated by municipal solid waste (MSW) ashes and metallurgical waste was performed. This characterization confirmed the usefulness of the jig and wet shaking table for separating the metal contaminants from the soil. Mineralogical characterization allowed the prediction of treatment efficiencies and potential limits. The jig performance was optimized based on densimetric characterization. Water washing coupled with ferrous material extraction using magnetic separation, and, attrition scrubbing coupled with the jig and wet shaking table, led to a removal yield varying from 42.1% to 83.4% for Ba, Cu, Pb, Sn, and Zn from the fraction of soil >0.25 mm contaminated by MSW ashes. The recovered treated mass varied from 57.1% to 73.4% (by weight). For the fraction of soil >0.25 mm contaminated with metallurgical residues, Cu and Zn removal yields were higher than 57.5%. The recovered treated mass from this soil fraction corresponded to 64.8% (by weight). Depending on the level and leachability of contaminants, the soil fractions <0.25 mm were recommended for appropriate treatments (solidification or stabilization) or for safe disposal via landfills.

Comparison of different interpolation methods and sequential Gaussian simulation to estimate volumes of soil contaminated by As, Cr, Cu, PCP and dioxins/furans.

Understanding the spatial distribution of organic and/or inorganic contaminants is crucial to facilitate decision-making of rehabilitation strategies in order to ensure the most appropriate management of contaminated sites in terms of contaminant removals efficiencies and operating costs. For these reasons, various interpolation methods [Thiessen Polygon (TP) method, inverse of distance (IDW) method, ordinary kriging (OK), as well as sequential Gaussian simulations (SGS)] were used to better understand the spatial distribution of As, Cr, Cu, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and dioxins and furans (PCDD/F) found onto a specific industrial site. These methods do not only vary in complexity and efficiency but also lead to different results when using values coming from the same characterization campaign. Therefore, it is often necessary to evaluate their relevance by performing a comparative analysis. The results showed that ordinary kriging (OK) was a better estimator of the mean and more advanced compared to the two other methods of interpolation (TP and IDW). However, it appeared that SGS has the same power than OK but it also permitted to calculate a reliable value of the probabilities of exceeding regulatory cut-offs of contamination.

Semi-passive in-situ pilot scale bioreactor successfully removed sulfate and metals from mine impacted water under subarctic climatic conditions.

Mine drainage contaminated with metals is a major environmental threat since it is a source of water pollution with devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems. Conventional active treatment technologies are prohibitively expensive and so there is increasing demand to develop reliable, cost-effective and sustainable passive or semi-passive treatment. These are promising alternatives since they leverage the metabolism of microorganisms native to the disturbed site at in situ or close to in situ conditions. Since this is a biological approach, it is not clear if semi-passive treatment would be effective in remote locations with extremely cold weather such as at mines in the subarctic. In this study we tested the hypothesis that sulfate-reducing bacteria, which are microorganisms that promote metal precipitation, exist in subarctic mine environments and their activity can be stimulated by adding a readily available carbon source. An experiment was setup at a closed mine in the Yukon Territory, Canada, where leaching of Zn and Cd occurs. To test if semi-passive treatment could precipitate these metals and prevent further leaching from waste rock, molasses as a carbon source was added to anaerobic bioreactors mimicking the belowground in-situ conditions. Microbial community analysis confirmed that sulfate-reducing bacteria became enriched in the bioreactors upon addition of molasses. The population composition remained fairly stable over the 14 month operating period despite temperature shifts from 17 to 5 °C. Sulfate reduction functionality was confirmed by quantification of the gene for dissimilatory sulfite reductase. Metals were removed from underground mine drainage fed into the bioreactors with Zn removal efficiency varying between 20.9% in winter and 89.3% in summer, and Cd removal efficiency between 39% in winter and 90.5% in summer. This study demonstrated that stimulation of native SRB in MIW was possible and that in situ semi-passive treatment can be effective in removing metals despite the cold climate.

Study of factors involved in the gravimetric separation process to treat soil contaminated by municipal solid waste.

The current research investigated the effectiveness of a gravimetric process (shaking table) to treat soil contaminated by municipal solid waste. A detailed characterization of the inorganic pollutants was performed, followed by concentrating the metals within smaller volumes using the shaking table technology. The densimetric examination of the 1-2 mm and 0.250-1 mm fractions of the contaminated soil showed that lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and tin (Sn) were mostly concentrated in the heavy fraction (metal removals > 50%). Scanning electron microscopy coupled with elemental analysis indicated the relevance of using gravimetric processes to treat this soil sample. The influence of shaking table parameters was determined using a Box-Behnken design. The tilt and washing water flow demonstrated significant effects on the motion of the 1-2 mm soil fraction and on the removal of Pb, Cu, and Sn. The results obtained under the optimal settings of the shaking table defined using the Box-Behnken methodology when treating the 1-2 mm fraction were close to those obtained when using dense media separation. The recovered mass of the concentrate was approximately 20.8% (w.w-1) of the total mass. The removals of Pb, Cu, and Sn were estimated to be 67.3%, 54.5% and 54.6% respectively. The predicted and experimental mass distributions of the medium (1-2 mm) and fine-sized (0.250-1 mm) particles were compared successively under some selected conditions. The mass distribution of both fractions showed similar tendencies in response to the forces applied by each condition. However, lowering the forces induced by the bumping action and the flowing film was recommended so as to efficiently treat the fine fraction (0.250-1 mm). The recovered mass of the concentrate (10%) was slightly lower than that obtained by dense media separation (13%). However, satisfactory removal yields were obtained for Pb, Cu, and Sn (42.7%, 23.6%, and 35% respectively).

Treatment technologies used for the removal of As, Cr, Cu, PCP and/or PCDD/F from contaminated soil: A review.

The contamination of soils by metals such as arsenic, chromium, copper and organic compounds such as pentachlorophenol (PCP) and dioxins and furans (PCDD/F) is a major problem in industrialized countries. Excavation followed by disposal in an appropriate landfilling is usually used site to manage these contaminated soils. Many researches have been conducted to develop physical, biological, thermal and chemical methods to allow the rehabilitation of contaminated sites. Thermal treatments including thermal desorption seemed to be the most appropriate methods, allowing the removal of more than 99.99% of organic contaminants but, they are ineffective for inorganic compounds. Biological treatments have been developed to remove inorganic and hydrophobic organic contaminants but their applications are limited to soils contaminated by easily biodegradable organic compounds. Among the physical technologies available, attrition is the most commonly used technique for the rehabilitation of soils contaminated by both organic and inorganic contaminants. Chemical processes using acids, bases, redox agents and surfactants seemed to be an interesting option to simultaneously extract organic and inorganic contaminants from soils. This paper will provide an overview of the recent developments in the field of decontamination technologies applicable for the removal of As, Cr, Cu, PCP and/or PCDD/F from contaminated soils.

Study of the factors influencing the metals solubilisation from a mixture of waste batteries by response surface methodology.

This paper presents an innovative process for the recovery of valuable metals from a mixture of spent batteries. Different types of batteries, including alkaline, zinc-carbon (Zn-C), nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd), nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH), lithium ion (Li-ion) and lithium metallic (Li-M) batteries, were mixed according to the proportion of the Canadian sales of batteries. A Box-Behnken design was applied to find the optimum leaching conditions allowing a maximum of valuable metal removals from a mixture of spent batteries in the presence of an inorganic acid and a reducing agent. The results highlighted the positive effect of sodium metabisulfite on the performance of metals removal, especially for Mn. The solid/liquid ratio and the concentration of H2SO4 were the main factors affecting the leaching behavior of valuable metals (Zn, Mn, Cd, Ni) present in spent batteries. Finally, the optimum leaching conditions were found as follows: one leaching step, solid/liquid ratio = 10.9%, [H2SO4] = 1.34 M, sodium metabisulfite (Na2S2O5) = 0.45 g/g of battery powder and retention time = 45 min. Under such conditions, the removal yields achieved were 94% for Mn, 81% for Cd, 99% for Zn, 96% for Co and 68% for Ni.

Optimizing removal of arsenic, chromium, copper, pentachlorophenol and polychlorodibenzo-dioxins/furans from the 1-4†mm fraction of polluted soil using an attrition process.

The objective of this study was to evaluate, at a pilot scale, the performance of an attrition process for removing As, Cr, Cu, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and polychlorodibenzodioxins and furans (PCDDF) from a 1-4 mm soil fraction. A Box-Behnken experimental design was utilized to evaluate the influence of several parameters (temperature, surfactant concentration and pulp density) and to optimize the main operating parameters of this attrition process. According to the results, the concentration of surfactant (cocamidopropylbetaine-BW) was the main parameter influencing both PCP and PCDDF removal from the 1-4 mm soil fraction by attrition. The behavior of each 2,3,7,8-PCDD/F congener during the attrition process was studied. The results indicated that the concentration of surfactant had a significant and positive effect on the removal of almost all of the dioxin and furan. The removal of 56%, 55%, 50%, 67% and 62% of the contaminants were obtained for As, Cr, Cu, PCP and PCDDF, respectively, using the optimized conditions ([BW]= 2% (w.w-1), T = 25°C and PD = 40% (w.w-1)). These results showed that attrition in the presence of a surfactant can be efficiently used to remediate the coarse fractions of soil contaminated by As, Cr, Cu, PCP and PCDDF.

Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in different synthetic solutions by Fenton's oxidation.

The Fenton oxidation using phenanthrene (Phe), fluoranthene (Fle) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) as representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminants was examined. The effect of the H2O2 concentration, the temperature and the competition between the PAHs in different solutions (methanol, surfactant and quartz) was investigated. The Fenton oxidation process was performed at pH = 2.5. The best conditions were recorded by adding 15 g H2O2 L-1 with a molar H2O2/Fe2+ ratio of 10/1 at T = 60°C. Phe, Fle and BaP were efficiently degraded in aqueous solution (Phe = 99%, Fle = 99% and BaP = 90%). The present study demonstrated that Phe, Fle and BaP were degraded to intermediate compounds and also oxidized to carbon dioxide. Among the by-products obtained, phthalic acids and benzoic acid were recorded as the major products.

Recovery of metals from a mixture of various spent batteries by a hydrometallurgical process.

Spent batteries contain hazardous materials, including numerous metals (cadmium, lead, nickel, zinc, etc.) that are present at high concentrations. Therefore, proper treatment of these wastes is necessary to prevent their harmful effects on human health and the environment. Current recycling processes are mainly applied to treat each type of spent battery separately. In this laboratory study, a hydrometallurgical process has been developed to simultaneously and efficiently solubilize metals from spent batteries. Among the various chemical leaching agents tested, sulfuric acid was found to be the most efficient and cheapest reagent. A Box-Behnken design was used to identify the influence of several parameters (acid concentration, solid/liquid ratio, retention time and number of leaching steps) on the removal of metals from spent batteries. According to the results, the solid/liquid ratio and acid concentration seemed to be the main parameters influencing the solubilization of zinc, manganese, nickel, cadmium and cobalt from spent batteries. According to the results, the highest metal leaching removals were obtained under the optimal leaching conditions (pulp density = 180 g/L (w/v), [H2SO4] = 1 M, number of leaching step = 3 and leaching time = 30 min). Under such optimum conditions, the removal yields obtained were estimated to be 65% for Mn, 99.9% for Cd, 100% for Zn, 74% for Co and 68% for Ni. Further studies will be performed to improve the solubilization of Mn and to selectively recover the metals.

Remediation of inorganic contaminants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from soils polluted by municipal solid waste incineration residues.

Three soils polluted by municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration residues and containing various concentrations of Cu, Pb, Sb, Sn and Zn were treated using magnetism, gravity separation (jig and shaking table) and flotation/leaching. The process removed between 18% and 39% of the contaminants present in soil 1, between 31% and 53% of the contaminants present in soil 2 and between 42% and 56% of the contaminants present in soil 3. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were present only in soil 3, and the process removed 64% of its PAHs total content. Magnetism seemed to be the most efficient technique to remove metals from contaminated soils, followed by gravity separation and finally flotation/leaching. The global efficiency of the process was higher when the initial contaminant concentrations were lower (smaller proportions of MSW incineration residues). The estimated costs of the process, including direct and indirect costs, varied from $82 to $88 per ton of treated soil depending on the proportion of MSW incineration residues mixed with the soil.