Densification of iron(III) sludge in neutralization

Acid mine drainage (AMD), of which iron is a substantial component, is a potential by-product in the mining industry. Conventional neutralization is a common approach to treat AMD, although it creates a major disposal problem due to the generation of voluminous sludge. Sludge recirculation improves solid density by slowing down the rate of neutralization and allowing the growth of precipitates, while existing solids act as seed particles by providing necessary surface area for precipitation. The mechanisms of iron sludge densification are not fully understood, mainly because of the complex nature of iron chemistry, and the variety of amorphous, polymeric oxides that could be formed. In this work, the effects of alkaline reagents, flocculant addition, and dosing sequence, on the precipitation of iron (III) hydroxide and densification of the recycled sludge were investigated. Slowly dissolving lime (Ca(OH)2) was found to be more effective than caustic (NaOH) in producing sludge with higher solid contents. Polymers addition created stronger aggregates that could withstand shearing without significant size reduction, but the overall sludge density was lower than those produced without flocculant. Conditioning the sludge at pH between 3.5 and 4.5 by adding fresh lime in a specific dosing manner appeared to be conducive to the growth of large agglomerates. The final sludge solid content of ∼15 wt.% was considerably higher than others produced under different conditions. The plate-like structures of precipitates generated with more recycles in this instance, possibly helped ease the release of entrapped water between solids during shearing, thus producing sludge with higher solid density.