Leaching Characteristics of Mercury Mine Wastes Before and After Solar Thermal Desorption
Navarro, A; Canadas, I; Rodriguez, J; Martinez, D
| HERO ID | 1928471 |
|---|---|
| In Press | No |
| Year | 2012 |
| Title | Leaching Characteristics of Mercury Mine Wastes Before and After Solar Thermal Desorption |
| Authors | Navarro, A; Canadas, I; Rodriguez, J; Martinez, D |
| Journal | Environmental Engineering Science |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Page Numbers | 915-928 |
| Abstract | Mercury mine waste contains other toxic metals in addition to Hg, such as Ag, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Fe, Mn, As, and Sb, which may contribute to environmental pollution. Leaching characteristics of mine waste treated by solar thermal desorption were studied, and removal and mobilization processes were evaluated. Concentrations of Cd, Ni, and Pb in mine waste leachates before thermal treatment do not exceed the limits in European standards, and after the treatment, their concentration decreased significantly in some samples. Hg is the only metal with concentrations above the European leaching limits, although, in the treated samples, the concentrations of dissolved Hg decreased significantly, showing the effectiveness of the thermal treatment. Thus, in the mining wastes sample AS, Hg concentrations decreased from 1100 mu g/L in the original sample to 73 mu g/L in the treated sample, although this concentration is above the European leachate concentration levels (30 mu g/L). In the calcine sample M03, Hg leached only decreased from 13 to 9 mu g/L in the treated sample, although when characterized by percolation experiments, these levels were below the European leachate limits for nonhazardous solid-waste landfills. In the soil samples M02 and BS, the Hg leaching showed an opposite behavior, indicating in the Azogue soil sample M02 that the Hg concentration decreased from 66 to 6 mu g/L in the treated sample, while in the Bayarque soil sample BS, the concentration of leached Hg increased from 9 to 51 mu g/L in the treated sample. Results of geochemical modeling showed that the dominant species in the leachates of the untreated samples were HgClOH, Hg(OH)(2), HgCl2, HgCl3-, and Hg-0, which was in agreement with the high Hg and chloride concentrations in some leachates. In the leachates of the treated samples, the dominant species were Hg-0, Hg(OH)(2), HgClOH, and HgCl2. |
| Doi | 10.1089/ees.2010.0017 |
| Wosid | WOS:000309959100002 |
| Is Certified Translation | No |
| Dupe Override | No |
| Is Public | Yes |
| Keyword | leaching; mercury; metals; mine waste; thermal desorption |