Dewatering of industrial clay wastes. Report of investigations/1980

Technical Report · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5548914

Smelley, A G; Scheiner, B J; Zatko, J R

As a part of research conducted in its mission to effect pollution abatement, the Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, is developing a dewatering technique that allows for disposal of clay wastes, for reuse of water now lost with clays, and for reclamation of mined land. The technique utilizes a high-molecular-weight nonionic polyethylene oxide polymer (PEO) that has the ability to flocculate and dewater materials containing clay wastes. In laboratory experiments, coal-clay waste, potash-clay brine slurry, phosphatic clay waste, uranium tailings, and talc tailings were successfully consolidated. Coal-clay waste was consolidated from 3.6 to 57 percent; potash-clay brine slurry was consolidated from 3.8 to 35 percent; phosphatic clay waste from 15.6 to 49 percent; uranium tailings from 15.4 to 67 percent; tailings from talc production from 9.7 to 53 percent; and acidic TiO2 slurry from 1.68 to 30 percent.

• Research Organization: Bureau of Mines, Tuscaloosa, AL (USA). Tuscaloosa Research Center
• OSTI ID: 5548914
• Report Number(s): PB-81-179954
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALCOHOLS
CLAYS
COAL MINES
DISPERSIONS
FLOCCULATION
GLYCOLS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
LAND RECLAMATION
MANAGEMENT
MINES
MIXTURES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
POLYETHYLENE GLYCOLS
POLYMERS
PRECIPITATION
PROCESSING
REMOVAL
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SLURRIES
SOLID WASTES
SUSPENSIONS
TAILINGS
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
URANIUM MINES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
WATER REMOVAL