Resumen

ADUVIRE, Osvaldo. Innovaciones técnicas en el tratamiento de aguas acidas de mina con recuperación de subproductos con valor económico. REV. MAMYM [online]. 2019, vol.4, n.1, pp.55-64. ISSN 2519-5352.

Abstract Mining activity generates a large volume of materials and waste that must be stored properly in deposits of tailings and tailings called dumps or tailings or tailings dams, usually, these mining waste usually contain sulfides that in contact with the atmosphere and water they initiate complex processes of physical, chemical and biological transformations that give rise to the generation of acid mine drainages. In recent years, methodologies have been developed for more effective characterization of mine acid, in which mineral acidity is included in addition to protonic acidity, an aspect that is not usually considered in classical characterization methods. The application of emerging technologies in the control and treatment of effluents such as the recovery of acidic water metals has also been strengthened, whether the facilities are in operation or abandoned, through the development of physical and chemical processes that modify the conditions of Eh and pH of the discharges, so as to favor the formation of insoluble species and the retention of the dissolved metal load in the waters. This paper describes the best techniques available in the hydrogeochemical characterization of mine waters, together with innovative processes developed for the recovery of metals and / or by-products with economic value from mine acid waters. This method of recovering by-products, in addition to direct measurements in the field of parameters such as: pH, redox, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, acidity and flow rate; representative samples are taken for their respective analysis in total and dissolved concentrations, with this information the reagents and the types of neutralization and precipitation tests are selectedto determine the hydrolysis zones of eachelement present inthe water and that are subject to elimination. From the zones of hydrolysis or buffering of the system, we identify the pH and redox ranges of the elements with the highest concentration and we choose the cuts of the different stages that would form the treatment system. Based on the results obtained in the characterization of the effluents, we proceed to choose the treatment systems through experimental tests atthe laboratory levelto obtainthe size of the design variables ofthe mine water treatment plant, which allows the recovery or obtaining by-products with possibilities of economic use. This methodology allows the sizing of more efficient mine water treatment systems, with a lower consumption of reagents and better environmental control, in addition to considering mine effluents as sources from where it is possible to recover the metallic load and obtain a by-product with use economic. The study also includes comparative cases of economic performance that can be obtained and recommendations for this methodology to be technically, environmentally and economically feasible.

Palabras clave : Acid water treatment; Metal recovery.

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