| Acid mine drainage (AMD) is formed from the oxidation of sulfide-containing minerals, resulting in the acidification of water and solubilization of metals. Negative environmental effects include toxicity to aquatic life and the deposition of Fe(OH)3. Conventional treatment involves chemical neutralization, which results in a multi-constituent sludge that is difficult to treat and/or dispose of. Electrochemical treatment offers several advantages: low operating costs, inexpensive reagents and the opportunity to recover metals.; The primary goals of this research were to remove the acidity from AMD through electrochemical reduction and remove the metals from the solution. Synthetic AMD solutions containing acid, iron, copper and nickel, in single metal solutions and in mixtures, and an authentic AMD sample were electrolyzed using various cathodes and ion exchange membranes to determine if the pH can be raised to remove the metals via precipitation, or in the case of copper and nickel, via electrodeposition. |
