Filter materials for metal removal from mine drainage—a review

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 21; no. 15; pp. 9109 - 9128
• Main Authors: Westholm, Lena Johansson, Repo, Eveliina, Sillanpää, Mika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.08.2014; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acid mine drainage; Activated carbon; Adsorption; Alkalinity; aluminum; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; bark; Biofiltration; Bioremediation; Chitin; Chitosan; Composting; Composts; dairy manure; Dolomite; drainage; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Field tests; Filtration - instrumentation; Filtration - methods; Fly ash; Heavy metal content; Heavy metals; Industrial wastes; Inorganic materials; ion exchange; Ion exchangers; iron; Iron and steel making; Laboratories; lead; Lignite; Limestone; mercury; Metal removal; Metals; Metals, Heavy - chemistry; Mine drainage; Mining; Mining industry; Mining wastewater; Normalisation; Olivine; Organic materials; Oryza sativa; Peat; Research methodology; Review; Review Article; rice hulls; Shale; Slag; Slags; Steel; Steels; Studies; Sulfate reduction; Waste Water - chemistry; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Pollution Control; Yeasts; Zeolites; zinc; Nordic region; Normalisation; Mining wastewater; Organic materials; Adsorption; Inorganic materials; Metal removal
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-2903-y

A large number of filter materials, organic and inorganic, for removal of heavy metals in mine drainage have been reviewed. Bark, chitin, chitosan, commercial ion exchangers, dairy manure compost, lignite, peat, rice husks, vegetal compost, and yeast are examples of organic materials, while bio-carbons, calcareous shale, dolomite, fly ash, limestone, olivine, steel slag materials and zeolites are examples of inorganic materials. The majority of these filter materials have been investigated in laboratory studies, based on various experimental set-ups (batch and/or column tests) and different conditions. A few materials, for instance steel slag materials, have also been subjects to field investigations under real-life conditions. The results from these investigations show that steel slag materials have the potential to remove heavy metals under different conditions. Ion exchange has been suggested as the major metal removal mechanisms not only for steel slag but also for lignite. Other suggested removal mechanisms have also been identified. Adsorption has been suggested important for activated carbon, precipitation for chitosan and sulphate reduction for olivine. General findings indicate that the results with regard to metal removal vary due to experimental set ups, composition of mine drainage and properties of filter materials and the discrepancies between studies renders normalisation of data difficult. However, the literature reveals that Fe, Zn, Pb, Hg and Al are removed to a large extent. Further investigations, especially under real-life conditions, are however necessary in order to find suitable filter materials for treatment of mine drainage.