Arsenic Removal from Mine Waters with Sorption Techniques

Potential low-cost sorption materials (mostly industrial by-products) were screened for removal of arsenic from mine effluent water. First, the maximum adsorption capacities were determined in batch tests with various liquid to solid ratios. The highest arsenic sorption capacity, 46 mg As/g of sorption material, was measured for cast iron chips. The most promising materials were also studied in batch tests that assessed the reaction kinetics and in kinetic column tests for their behavior in a filter or reactive barrier application. The column tests revealed the cast iron chips caused clogging in the percolation column when operating with real mine water. A commercial ferric oxi-hydroxide sorption material developed for As removal for drinking water showed good As removal in the column tests. Around 10,000 bed volumes of mine process water containing 2 mg/L of arsenic was treated with this material, and treated water concentrations ranged between 0 and 0.05 mg/L before breakthrough. The measured adsorption capacity for the commercial ferric oxi-hydroxide sorption material was 8.3 mg As/g.