Removing copper and nickel from contaminated water with vermiculite-sungulite materials

Abstract

The environmental impact of non-ferrous metallurgy sites is a well-studied and thoroughly described phenomenon characterizing industrially developed areas. New techniques are being developed and adopted to help reduce the amount of metal compounds released in the environment by the industry. The so-called fugitive sources of pollution, which include polluted areas surrounding industrial sites, have been a recent focus of attention. This paper considers the possibility to use vermiculite-sungulite materials obtained by concentration of tailings produced by a phlogopite mine in Kovdor (Murmansk Region) as a sorption material to be used for removing heavy metals from contaminated ponds of the Monchegorsk Industrial Area in the Murmansk Region. A series of experiments has been conducted during which sampled water was treated with vermiculite-sungulite materials. This sorption treatment technique was established to be efficient. Some resultant solutions have residual concentrations of metals <10 mcg/L, with the purification efficiency exceeding 85%. The factor determining the process of removing nickel and copper from contaminated water includes pH, which is reached as a result of water interacting with the above materials. In the equilibrium state, provided the рН level in the system is maintained above 8.5, vermiculite-sungulite materials can keep metals sorbed thus preventing their migration from the sorption layer. The findings show that due to the use of finely dispersed materials the concentrations of copper and nickel can be lowered from 10 mg/L to a few micrograms. This research study was funded and supported by Kola MMC.