Artificial geochemical barriers for additional recovery of non-ferrous metals and reduction of ecological hazard from the mining industry waste

Abstract

Laboratory tests and physical-chemical modeling have determined that mixtures of activated silica and carbonatite, serpophite and carbonatite show considerable promise for developing artificial geochemical barriers. The obtained average contents of nickel and copper deposited on geochemical barriers in the formed mining induced ores are acceptable for their subsequent cost efficient processing using either pyro- or hydrometallurgy methods. Some tests of geochemical barriers have been carried out, involving the use of polluted water in the impact zone of the “Kol'skaya GMK” JSC. A possibility of water purification from heavy metals down to the MAC level for fishery water bodies has been displayed.

Keywords:

• Mining industry complex wastes
• artificial geochemical barriers
• deposition of nickel and copper
• physical-chemical geotechnologies
• treatment of natural and waste water

Acknowledgments

The work has been carried out with support of Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 10–05-98805r_north_a) and a grant of RF President “Scientific school of Academician V.A. Chanturiya” NSh 3184.2010.5.