Chrysotile for Removing Heavy Metals from AMD

The article discusses the possibility of using chrysotile to remove various pollutants, in particular heavy metals, from acid mine drainage (AMD). The purpose of this study is to develop and justify new technologies for purifying wastewater from heavy metals (using the example of Al, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn). The authors study the physicochemical properties and composition of chrysotile. The structure and surface composition of the material under study are examined using a JEOL JSM-6460 LV electron microscope with an attachment for micro-X-ray spectral analysis, and the chemical composition of the sorbate and its changes depending on the research conditions are studied using an OPTIMA 2100DV atomic emission spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma. The fibrous structure of the chrysotile sample under study consisting of fibers 2–3.5 mm in length and 0.06–0.08 µm in diameter is determined using electron microscopic analysis. Its sorption capacity is determined under static conditions at various temperatures. Data on the effect of filtration speed on the purification effectiveness are obtained in dynamic mode. It has been established that the effectiveness of wastewater treatment when using chrysotile varies from 71 to 100% under static conditions and from 35 to 100% under dynamic conditions, depending on the nature of metal cations in the effluent, sorbate temperature, and filtration rate. The authors note that the value of the hydrogen index during dynamic testing increases from a value of 2.38 to values of 4.11–4.20 at filtration rates of 0.3–0.6 l/h, and to a value of 5.84 at a filtration rate of 0.78 l/h.