Performance Evaluation of Fe-Al Bimetallic Particles for the Removal of Potentially Toxic Elements from Combined Acid Mine Drainage-Effluents from Refractory Gold Ore Processing

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a serious environmental issue associated with mining due to its acidic pH and potentially toxic elements (PTE) content. This study investigated the performance of the Fe-Al bimetallic particles for the treatment of combined AMD-gold processing effluents. Batch experiments were conducted in order to eliminate potentially toxic elements (including Hg, As, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn, and Mn) from a simulated waste solution at various bimetal dosages (5, 10, and 20 g/L) and time intervals (0 to 90 min). The findings show that metal ions with greater electrode potentials than Fe and Al have higher affinities for electrons released from the bimetal. Therefore, a high removal (>95%) was obtained for Hg, As, Cu, and Pb using 20 g/L bimetal in 90 min. Higher uptakes of Hg, As, Cu, and Pb than Ni, Zn, and Mn also suggest that electrochemical reduction and adsorption by Fe-Al (oxy) hydroxides as the primary and secondary removal mechanisms, respectively. The total Al3+ dissolution in the experiments with a higher bimetal content (10 and 20 g/L) were insignificant, while a high release of Fe ions was recorded for various bimetal dosages. Although the secondary Fe pollution can be considered as a drawback of using the Fe-Al bimetal, this issue can be tackled by a simple neutralization and Fe precipitation process. A rapid increase in the solution pH (initial pH 2 to >5 in 90 min) was also observed, which means that bimetallic particles can act as a neutralizing agent in AMD treatment system and promote the precipitation of the dissolved metals. The presence of chloride ions in the system may cause akaganeite formation, which has shown a high removal capacity for PTE. Moreover, nitrate ions may affect the process by competing for the released electrons from the bimetal owing to their higher electrode potential than the metals. Finally, the Fe-Al bimetallic material showed promising results for AMD remediation by electrochemical reduction of PTE content, as well as acid-neutralization/metal precipitation.