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Immobilization of copper under an acid leach of colloidal pyrite waste rocks by a fixed-bed column

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Abstract

Colloidal pyrite waste rocks (CPWR) which are mainly composed of colloidal pyrite and siderite widely deposit in sulfide mines in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River belt, China, especially in Tongling City, Anhui Province, China. In this paper, a fixed-bed column was used to investigate the weathering and oxidation of CPWR and its role in immobilizing low-concentration Cu (10 mg L−1) under weakly acidic leach (pH = 5.0). The experimental results indicated that the breakthrough capacity was around 14.0 mg Cu g−1 CPWR when Cu2+ breakthrough concentration was 0.5 mg L−1. Sequential extraction of Cu and dithionite–citrate–bicarbonate extraction of free iron in the used CPWR after the column breakthrough indicated that Cu removal by CPWR consisted of the following processes: oxidation of pyrite and dissolution of siderite in CPWR, ferrous oxidation, and adsorption of Cu on ferric (hydr)oxides. This study shows the potential application of CPWR as an effective sorbent for the removal of low-concentration Cu from acid mine drainage.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41130206 and 41402029). Yan Yang is grateful for the funding provided by the China Scholarship Council (No. 201306690001) and European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST Action Programs 1205 and 1302).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Nanomineralogy and Environmental Material, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China

    Yan Yang, Tianhu Chen, Ping Li, Chengsong Qing & Qiaoqin Xie

  2. Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

    Yan Yang & Xinmin Zhan

  3. Party Secretary, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, Anhui, China

    Chengsong Qing

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  1. Yan Yang
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  2. Tianhu Chen
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Correspondence to Yan Yang or Tianhu Chen.

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Yang, Y., Chen, T., Li, P. et al. Immobilization of copper under an acid leach of colloidal pyrite waste rocks by a fixed-bed column. Environ Earth Sci 75, 205 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4991-5

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