Chemical precipitation of heavy metals from acid mine drainage

Matthew M. Matlock, Brock S. Howerton, David A. Atwood

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

675 Scopus citations

Abstract

The 1,3-benzenediamidoethanethiol dianion (BDET, known commercially as MetX) has been developed to selectively and irreversibly bind soft heavy metals from aqueous solution. In the present study BDET was found to remove >90% of several toxic or problematic metals from AMD samples taken from an abandoned mine in Pikeville, Kentucky. The concentrations of metals such as iron, may be reduced at pH 4.5 from 194ppm to below 0.009ppm. The formation of stoichiomietric BDET-metal precipitates in this process was confirmed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), and infrared spectroscopy (IR).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4757-4764
Number of pages8
JournalWater Research
Volume36
Issue number19
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2002

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the University of Kentucky Geological Survey Institute for their assistance in the ICP-OES analyses. NMR instruments used in this research were obtained with funds from the CRIF program of the National Science Foundation (CHE 997841), from the Research Challenge Trust Fund of the University of Kentucky and the MRI program of the NSF (DMR-9977388).

Keywords

  • Acid mine drainage
  • BDET
  • Chemical precipitation
  • Heavy metals
  • Iron
  • Mercury
  • Remediation
  • Water treatment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecological Modeling
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Pollution

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