Treatment of the acidic effluent from a copper smelter by flotation tailings
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Since commissioning in 1961, the copper mine Majdanpek, a part of the Mining and Smelting Complex Bor (RTB Bor), produced approximately 378 million tons of flotation tailings. Semi-quantitative mineralogical analysis of the flotation tailings revealed significant content of carbonate minerals (approximately 20-25 %), indicating high acid neutralization capacity. Also, approximately 70 % of copper is in the form of the oxide mineral cuprite (Cu2O). Copper can be easily leached from cuprite by using sulphuric acid. The RTB Bor copper smelter generates 8.7 m3h-1 of extremely acidic waste effluent (142.4 kgm-3 of sulphuric acid, pH -0.464) with relatively high concentrations of dissolved metals and metalloids (Cu, Fe, Zn, Pb and As). The effluent is currently treated with hydrated lime. The present study focused on application of flotation tailings as a neutralizing agent for acidic effluents. Laboratory experiments followed by computer simulation of the industrial process showed that 99% of the acid can be neutralized with flotation tailings in a series of six reactors resulting in the final copper concentration of 1.55 gL-1. Benefits of the proposed process are: lower environmental impact of the process and reduced costs of neutralization of the acidic effluent from the copper smelter.
Downloads
Article Details
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors grant to the Publisher the following rights to the manuscript, including any supplemental material, and any parts, extracts or elements thereof:
- the right to reproduce and distribute the Manuscript in printed form, including print-on-demand;
- the right to produce prepublications, reprints, and special editions of the Manuscript;
- the right to translate the Manuscript into other languages;
- the right to reproduce the Manuscript using photomechanical or similar means including, but not limited to photocopy, and the right to distribute these reproductions;
- the right to reproduce and distribute the Manuscript electronically or optically on any and all data carriers or storage media – especially in machine readable/digitalized form on data carriers such as hard drive, CD-Rom, DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD), Mini-Disk, data tape – and the right to reproduce and distribute the Article via these data carriers;
- the right to store the Manuscript in databases, including online databases, and the right of transmission of the Manuscript in all technical systems and modes;
- the right to make the Manuscript available to the public or to closed user groups on individual demand, for use on monitors or other readers (including e-books), and in printable form for the user, either via the internet, other online services, or via internal or external networks.
References
Brierley C Brierley J Progress in bioleaching part B: applications of microbial processes in the minerals industries, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2013; 97: 7543-7522.
Dold B. Sustainability in metal mining: from exploration, over processing to mine waste management, Rev. Environ. Sci. Biotechnol. 2008; 7: 275-285.
Bogdanović G, Trumić M, Trumić M, Antić DV. Mining waste management – Genesis nad possibilities for processing, Reciklaža i održivi razvoj 2011; 4: 37-43 (in Serbian)
Antonijević MM, Dimitirijević MD, Stevanović ZO, Serbula SM, Bogdanović GD. Investigation of the possibility of copper recovery from the flotation tailings by acid leaching, J. Hazard. Mater. 2008; 158: 23-34.
Stevanović Z, Antonijević M, Bogdanović G, Bugarin M, Trujić V, Marković R, Nedeljković D. The effect of oxidants through a tailing dump depth and the leaching of copper, Carpath. J. Earth Env. 2013; 8 (1): 29-38.
Stanković S, Morić I, Pavić A, Vojnović S, Vasiljević B, Cvetković V. Bioleaching of copper from samples of Old flotation tailings (Copper mine Bor, Serbia), J. Serb. Chem. Soc. 2015; 80 (3): 391-405.
Sokić M, Milošević V, Stanković V, Matković V, Marković B. Acid leaching of oxide-sulphide copper ore priore the flotation – A way for increased metal recovery, Hem. Ind. 2015; 69(5):453-458.
Stevanović Z, Antonijević M, Jonović R, Avramović Lj, Marković R, Bugarin M, Trujić V. Leach SW-EX copper revalorization from overburden of abandoned copper mine Cerovo, eastern Serbia, J. Min. Metall. 2009; 45 B (1): 45-57.
Stanković V, Milošević V, Milićević D, Gorgievski M, Bogdanović G. Reprocessing of the olf flotation tailings deposited on the Bor tailings pond – A case study, Chem. Ind. Chem. Eng. Q. 2018; DOI: 10.2298/CICEQ170817005S
Radovanović D, Kamberović Ž, Ranitović M, Korać M, Gavrilovski M, Mihajlović A. Integral treatment of copper smelter wastewater by copper mine overburden, 47th International October Conference on Mining and Metallurgy, Bor, Serbia, 2015; 401-404.
Dimitrijević MD, Alagić SČ. Passive treatment of the acid mine drainage, Bakar 2012;37 (1): 58-68. (in Serbian)
Dimitrijević M., Nujkić MM, Milić SM Treatment of the acid mine drainage with lime, Bakar 2012;37 (1): 45-55. (in Serbian)
Ivišić-Bajčeta D, Kamberović Ž, Korać M, Gavrilovski M. Soolidification/stabilization process of wastewater treatment sludge from primary copper smelter. J. Serb. Chem. Soc. 2013; 78(5):725-739.
Antonijević MM, Janković ZD, Dimitrijević MD. Kintetics of chalcopyrite dissolution by hydrogen peroxide in suphuric acid, Hydrometallurgy 2014; 71 (3-4):329-334.
Habbache N, Alane N, Djeard S, Tiofuti L. Leaching of copper oxide with different acid solutions, Chem. Eng. J. 2009;152: 503-508.
Sokić M. Leaching mechanism of pollymetalic Pb-Zn-Cu concentrates with sulphuric acid in the presence of selected oxidants, Doctoral dissertation, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, 2008. (in Serbian)
Kraus W, Noize G. POWDER CELL - a program for the representation and manipulation of crystal structures and calculation of the resulting X-ray powder patterns, J. Appl. Cryst. 1996; 29: 301-303.
Radovanović D. Stabilization And Solidification Process Of Hazardous Sludge Generated During Wastewater Treatment Process In Primary Copper Smelter, Doctoral dissertation, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, 2018. (in Serbian)
Outotecs HSC Chemistry 6, https://www.outotec.com/products/digital-solutions/hsc-chemistry/, accessed 3.11.2017.
Watling H. Chalcopyrite hydrometallurgy at atmospheric pressure: 1. Review of acidic sulfate, sulfate–chloride and sulfate–nitrate process options., Hydrometallurgy, 2013;140: 163-180.
Ivišić-Bajčeta D., Kamberović Ž., Rogan J., Ćirković M., Pavlović T. Analysis of coper loses through acid effluent flows generated during off-gas treatment in the new copper smelter of RTB Bor, Metall. Mater. Eng. 2013;19: 217-231.