Abstract

ZAMORA ECHENIQUE, Gerardo; ZAMORA MERCADO, Vivian  and  GORRITTY P, Marcelo. Proposal for the treatment of the acid waters from Milluni mine with anoxic limestone drains. Rev. Met. UTO [online]. 2015, n.36, pp. 37-44. ISSN 2078-5593.

The research is limited to a technical and financial proposal for the treatment of acid mine waters from Milluni mine, passing them thought an anoxic limestone drain, as an alternative to the current treatment by precipitaron with lime. The total amount of limestone which was calculated to treat 100 liters per second of acid water drain in an anoxic limestone drain was 32,271.026 tons. It was considered a residence time of 15 hours and 20 years of operation. The treatment of acid water by neutralizaron - precipitaron with lime requires 12.06 tons of lime/day; and 134.78 tons of sludge/day, although they are deposed "temporarily" in the sedimenter, in the end they are "downloaded" to the basin. It has been shown that this sludge "is not chemically stable" and cause "stripping of heavy metals". From the economic point of view, it has been shown that with the proposal there is a save of 12'600,000 $. Therefore, the treatment of acid mine waters from Milluni mine is technically, economically and environmentally more favorable than the conventional treatment by neutralizaron - precipitaron with lime.

Keywords : Acid mine water drain; anoxic limestone drain; treatment of acid waters.