The objective of this study is to evaluate the treatment of high-strength acid mine drainage (AMD) from copper mining by nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) at pilot scale. The performances of two commercial spiral-wound membranes – NF99 and RO98pHt, both from Alfa Laval – were compared. The effects of pressure and feed flow on ion rejection and permeate flux were evaluated. The results showed high ion removal under optimum pressure conditions, which reached 92% for the NF99 membrane and 98% for the RO98pHt membrane. Sulfate removal reached 97% and 99% for NF99 and RO98pHt, respectively. In the case of copper, aluminum, iron and manganese, the removal percentage surpassed 95% in both membranes. Although concentration polarization limited NF performance at higher pressures, permeate fluxes observed in NF were five times greater than those obtained by RO, with only slightly lower divalent ion rejection rates, making it a promising option for the treatment of AMD.
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Research Article|December 01 2016
Membrane technology applied to acid mine drainage from copper mining
K. Ambiado
K. Ambiado
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidad de Concepción, P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile
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C. Bustos
C. Bustos
2Department of Civil Engineering, Universidad de Concepción, P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile
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A. Schwarz
A. Schwarz
2Department of Civil Engineering, Universidad de Concepción, P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile
E-mail: alexschwarz@udec.cl
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R. Bórquez
R. Bórquez
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidad de Concepción, P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile
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Water Sci Technol (2016) 75 (3): 705-715.
Article history
Received:
June 26 2016
Accepted:
November 17 2016
Citation
K. Ambiado, C. Bustos, A. Schwarz, R. Bórquez; Membrane technology applied to acid mine drainage from copper mining. Water Sci Technol 13 February 2017; 75 (3): 705–715. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2016.556
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