Efficiency of thermally activated eggshells for acid mine drainage treatment in cold climate

Abstract

The selection process for a technology to treat the mine drainage is influenced by its performance, technical feasibility and cost. For the last decades, the mine industry has been searching for green methods to treat the acid mine drainage (AMD). This study evaluated thermally activated eggshells as a potential alternative for AMD treatment in cold climate. It was found that metal removal efficiency depended on the eggshells’ calcination temperature and on the solid: liquid ratio. Eggshells calcined at 900 °C and employed in a solid: liquid ratio of 0.3% increased the pH of a mine effluent from 2.5 to 6.9 at 20 °C and to 9.2 at 4 °C, respectively. Heavy metal concentrations were reduced as follows: As <0.0005 mg/L, Cd 0.00022 and 0.00009 mg/L, Cu 0.0061 and 0.0091 mg/L, Co 0.0338 and 0.0016 mg/L, Cr 0.0015 and 0.0022 mg/L, Fe <0.01 mg/L, Ni 0.0291 and 0.0024 mg/L, Mo <0.0005 mg/L, Se 0.0033 and 0.0044 mg/L, and Zn 0.007 and 0.022 mg/L, at 20 °C and 4 °C, respectively. Consequently, the treated mine effluent satisfied both the Quebec and Canadian regulations. Based on these results, thermally activated eggshells could be efficiently employed for the active and passive treatment of AMD in a cold climate.