In-line aeration and treatment of acid mine drainage
The Bureau of Mines has invented a simple, low-maintenance system to mix and aerate mine water in a pipeline. It consists of a jet pump, which entrains air by Venturi action, and a static mixer, which induces turbulent flow. The system has no moving parts and is designed to utilize the pressure that is generated by existing mine water discharge pumps. The in-line aeration and treatment system has been field-tested at mine sites in southwestern Pennsylvania and southern West Virginia as both an aeration system and as a simultaneous aeration and neutralization system. Field tests of this system as an aeration process involved near-neutral mine water with high ferrous iron (Fe/sup 2 +/) concentrations which were causing discharge pollution problems. Simultaneous aeration and neutralization was achieved by the injection of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) into the suction port of the jet pump. Test results of pilot scale and full-scale operations of the combined aeration and neutralization process indicated that much of the iron oxidation is completed within seconds, much faster than would be predicted from rate equations in the literature. The total capital cost of the in-line system for the Pennsylvania site, which produced a flow of approximately 350 gpm, was less than $4000. The West Virginia installation, which treated an approximate flow of 1250 gpm, cost about $8000. Operation and maintenance costs are also extremely low.
- Research Organization:
- Pittsburgh Research Center, PA
- OSTI ID:
- 5410437
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-841204-
- Journal Information:
- Univ. Ky., Off. Eng. Serv., (Bull.); (United States), Conference: National symposium on surface mining, hydrology, sedimentology and reclamation, Lexington, KY, USA, 2 Dec 1984
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID MINE DRAINAGE
AERATION
PH VALUE
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
DESIGN
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
SURFACE MINING
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL
IRON
OXIDATION
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
SPECIFICATIONS
TURBULENT FLOW
US BUREAU OF MINES
WATER POLLUTION
WATER PUMPS
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTROL
ECONOMICS
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FLUID FLOW
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
METALS
MINING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
PUMPS
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
US DOI
US ORGANIZATIONS
010800* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Waste Management
520100 - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (-1989)
012000 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Mining