Abstract
Based on the features of hydrodynamic cavitation, in this study, we developed a washing ejector that utilizes a high-pressure water jet. The cavitating flow was utilized to remove fine particles from contaminated soil. The volume of the contaminants and total metal concentration could be correlated to the fine-particle distribution in the contaminated soil. These particles can combine with a variety of pollutants. In this study, physical separation and soil washing as a two-step soil remediation strategy were performed to remediate contaminated soils from the smelter. A washing ejector was employed for physical separation, whereas phosphoric acid was used as the washing agent. The particles containing toxic heavy metals were composed of metal phase encapsulated in phyllosilicates, and metal phase weakly bound to phyllosilicate surfaces. The washing ejector involves the removal of fine particles bound to coarse particles and the dispersion of soil aggregates. From these results we determined that physical separation using a washing ejector was effective for the treatment of contaminated soil. Phosphoric acid (H3PO4) was effective in extracting arsenic from contaminated soil in which arsenic was associated with amorphous iron oxides. Thus, the obtained results can provide useful information and technical support for field soil washing for the remediation of soil contaminated by toxic heavy metals through emissions from the mining and ore processing industries.
Highlights
Published: 11 January 2022Recently, contaminated soils in the vicinity of mines and smelters have become a matter of environmental concern in many countries
A Washing Ejector Based on Hydrodynamic Cavitation
Soils are contaminated by the accumulation of toxic heavy metals emitted to the atmosphere by smelters
Summary
Published: 11 January 2022Recently, contaminated soils in the vicinity of mines and smelters have become a matter of environmental concern in many countries. An increase in industrial activities, such as mining and smelting, has resulted in a broad range of environmental problems [1,2], in particular, the soil becoming contaminated by the accumulation of toxic heavy metals and metalloids [3]. These contaminants through emissions from the mining and ore processing industries are considered hazardous waste, causing local and diffuse pollution in the soil. The metal-bearing particles were the most influential in the contaminated soil. A number of previous studies have reported that contaminant emissions into the atmosphere on a regional scale could be related to wind direction and the size
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