Environmental Aspects of Cu Recovery from Evaporative Solids on the Surface of Old Weathered Tailings: Sarcheshmeh Mine,
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TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Environmental Aspects of Cu Recovery from Evaporative Solids on the Surface of Old Weathered Tailings: Sarcheshmeh Mine, SE Iran Mehdi Khorasanipour1 · Esmat Esmaeilzadeh2 Received: 26 December 2019 / Accepted: 29 June 2020 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The enormous amount of water-soluble evaporative solids (about 150 t/ha) that has formed on the old weathered tailings in the semi-arid climate of the Sarcheshmeh area, in SE Iran, stores acidity and potentially toxic elements, such as Cd (8.8 ± 3.7 mg/ kg), Co (242 ± 43 mg/kg), Cu (11,220 ± 3500 mg/kg), Mn (8400 ± 3400 mg/kg), Ni (176 ± 38 mg/kg), S (12.82 ± 1.01%), and Zn (2670 ± 880 mg/kg). We assessed the potential of recovering Cu from these evaporative solids and the likely environmental aspects of doing so. The total Cu concentrations ranged from 7380 to 17,850 mg/kg. The mean Cu concentration in the produced pregnant leach solution (PLS) was 13,210 mg/L, which after cementation reached 94.40 mg/L, corresponding to a Cu recovery efficiency of 99.2%. During the cementation process, the Fe concentration increased in the final barren solution (FBS). In addition to the positive environmental role of Fe in the co-precipitation of potentially hazardous trace elements, the pH range of FBSs was 4.02–4.17, which was higher than the pH range of the initial PLSs (pH 3.25–3.40). Thus, collecting evaporative solids from the surface of old-weathered tailings can provide valuable Cu and improve the quality of the tailings pond recycling water by reducing the risk of diminishing of water quality, especially during heavy rainfall events. Keywords Secondary soluble minerals · Semi-arid climate · Water solubility potential · Cementation method
Introduction The environmental challenges associated with mine tailings are increasing due to the mining of lower grades ores (Aswathanarayana 2005; Wang et al. 2017). Some of these environmental challenges include land degradation, potential geological disasters, acid mine drainage (AMD) formation, release of potentially toxic elements to surroundings, and windblown dust (Abdalla et al. 2010; Anawar 2013; Bian et al. 2012; Hesketh et al. 2010; Khorasanipour and Eslami 2014; Liakopoulos et al. 2010; Redwan and Bamousa 2019; Trois et al. 2007). Weathering and oxidation of sulfide-rich mine tailings, especially in the presence of air, rainwater, and bacteria, can produce acidic waters laden with high concentrations of iron, sulfate ions, and potentially hazardous trace elements (e.g. * Mehdi Khorasanipour [email protected] 1
Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Research and Development Division, Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex, Kerman, Iran
2
Andrade et al. 2006; Benvenuti et al. 1997; Khorasanipour 2015; Khorasanipour and Eslami 2014; Lottermoser 2003). Climate conditions fundamentally control many reactions in tailings impoundments and therefore can affect their associated environmental problems (Dold and Fontboté 2
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