Abstract
The fate and transport of viruses in floatation systems is considerably important for accurate determination of the safety of reusing reclaimed water in the flotation process. Herein, simulation experiments on the floatation, adsorption and desorption were performed to examine the effect of initial virus concentration, pH and floatation reagents on the adsorption of viruses ΦΧ174 and MS2 onto copper–molybdenum ores. The transport of viruses in the flotation systems was also investigated. The viruses in the reclaimed water were rapidly adsorbed onto the ore particles, suggesting that tailing wastewater can be safely reused for floatation. However, the adsorbed viruses in the concentrates, middlings and tailings may pose health risks at certain exposure levels. The transport of viruses was dominated by their attachment to ore particles, with most being inactivated or irreversibly adsorbed. The removal and adsorption rates decreased as the initial virus concentration increased, and the removal rate decreased as pH was increased from 7.5 to 9.5. In comparison with MS2, ΦΧ174 was removed more effectively. This suggested that electrostatic repulsion is an important mechanism because MS2 has a greater negative charge. The attachment of both ΦΧ174 and MS2 onto the mineral particles increased significantly in the presence of PJ053 and CaO.
Highlights
This was attributed to the decrease in the proportion of floating ore particles as the scavenging process proceeded, suggesting that viruses in the reclaimed water were rapidly adsorbed onto the ore particles
Adsorption of both ΦX174 and MS2 onto the ore particles was time dependent, with a near complete removal of viruses observed within the experimental time span, and suggested that tailing wastewater could be safely reused in the floatation process
Our results suggested that the fate and transport of viruses in the floatation process were largely determined based on their adsorption, desorption and inactivation capabilities, which in turn were affected by van der Waals forces, electrostatic interaction and hydrophobic interactions between the viruses and the surface of ore particles
Summary
With the proposal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the green and low-carbon transformation of traditional industrial industries is imperative. Optimizing the water intake structure of flotation unit and increasing the recycling of wastewater can alleviate the conflict between supply and demand of water resources and save the cost of flotation water, but promote the green development of enterprises. A number of proposals have been raised to reduce water consumption. These include reuse of recycled process water, full recycle of treated effluent water and improving the water recovery efficiency at the dewatering unit. Reclaimed water reuse is gaining support in the mining industry as an effective way of addressing factors, including water shortage, water resource preservation and reduction of both environmental pollution and overall mining costs. To reduce the environmental impact and floatation costs, water was treated by using ozone—a broad-spectrum disinfectant [1]. Reclaimed water reuse becomes more challenging in the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. These pathogens will pose public health risks
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