The formation of Fe colloids and layered double hydroxides as sequestration agents in the natural remediation of mine drainage

The increasing need to treat wastewater from mine effluents has drawn attention to passive treatment systems. Colloids are common in mine waters and are highly reactive, so their formation, characteristics, behavior, and the critical factors that affect them need to be understood for designing efficient treatment systems. An investigation was conducted at the abandoned Ainai mine drainage, Japan, where aeration is utilized to remove Fe, As, and Zn from circumneutral wastewater drainage, during rainy and dry seasons of 2016 and 2018 respectively, based on observations of physiochemical characteristics, elemental concentrations in dissolved and colloidal fractions, transmission electron microscopy, and synthetic experiments. In this circumneutral Fe-rich mine drainage, Fe2+ is oxidized to Fe3+, resulting in the formation of Fe colloids that incorporate As during their formation. Colloid formation increases turbidity, and, in the rainy season, increased colloidal interaction enhances their aggregation and higher flow rates lead to greater mobilization of the colloids. Zn-bearing colloids are rare in Ainai mine drain-age because the Zn concentrations are low. However, Zn-Fe layered double hydroxide (LDH) was identified and confirmed by geochemical modelling and experiments. The Zn-Fe LDH was formed by isomorphous substitution of Zn into an Fe2+-Fe3+-CO32-LDH, at pH greater than 7.5, thereby achieving efficient natural remediation of Zn and As in the drainage. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

The increasing demand for treating wastewater from mine effluents has highlighted the importance of passive treatment systems. Understanding the formation, characteristics, behavior, and critical factors of colloids in mine waters is crucial for designing efficient treatment systems. A study conducted in Japan at the abandoned Ainai mine drainage demonstrated the use of aeration to remove Fe, As, and Zn from circumneutral wastewater, resulting in efficient natural remediation of Zn and As in the drainage.