• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.409-419
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• 2023

Acid mine drainage(AMD) treatment is classified as both passive and active treatment. During the treatment, about 5,000 tons of neutralization sludge is generated as a by-product per year in Korea. This study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of sludge generated from physico·chemical treatment processes as an active treatment from 5 different sources (D, H, S, T, Y) and the possibility of the sludges being recycled. The sludges have a pH range of 5.86 ~ pH 7.89, and a water content range of 51% ~ 82%. Most of particle sizes were less than 25 ㎛. In analysis of inorganic elements, the concentration of Al, Fe, and Mn were between 1,189 mg/kg ~ 129,344 mg/kg, 106,132 mg/kg ~ 338,011 mg/kg, and 3,472 mg/kg ~ 11,743 mg/kg, respectively. The concentration of As and Zn in sludge-T, Cd in sludge-D, Ni in sludge-H, Zn in sludge-S, and Cd in sludge-Y exceeded the soil contamination standards of Korea. The results from 2 separate kinds of leaching test, the Korea Standard Leaching Test(KSLT) and Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure(TCLP), showed that all the sludges met the Korea groundwater standards. From the XRD and SEM-EDS analysis, the peaks of calcite and quartz were found in the sludges. The sludge also had a high proportion of Fe and O, and the majority of the composition was amorphous iron hydroxide.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.13-26
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• 2018

This research was conducted to elucidate the removal mechanism of heavy metals and sulfate ion from acid mine drainage(AMD) by porous zeolite-slag ceramics (ZS ceramics) packed in a column reactor system. The average removal efficiencies of heavy metals and sulfate ion from AMD by the 1:3(Z:S) porous ZS ceramics in the column reactor under the HRT condition of 24 hours were Al 97.5%, As 98.8%, Cd 86.1%, Cu 96.2%, Fe 99.7%, Mn 64.1%, Pb 97.2%, Zn 66.7%, and $SO_4{^{2-}}$ 76.0% during 121 days of operation time. The XRD analysis showed that the ferric iron from AMD could be removed by adsorption and/or ion-exchange on the porous ZS ceramics. In addition it was known that Al, As, Cu, Mn, and Zn could adsorb or coprecipitate on the surface of Fe precipitates such as schwertmannite, ferrihydrite, or goethite. The EDS analysis revealed that Al, Fe, and Mn, which were of relatively high concentration in the AMD, would be adsorbed and/or ion-exchanged on the porous ZS ceramics and also exhibited that Al, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn could be precipitated as the form of metal hydroxide or sulfate and adsorbed or coprecipitated on the surface of Fe precipitates. The microscopic results on the porous ZS ceramics and precipitated sludge in a column reactor system suggested that the heavy metals and sulfate ion from AMD would be eliminated by the multiple mechanisms of coprecipitation, adsorption, ion-exchange as well as precipitation.