A METHOD FOR REDUCING THE EMISSIONS OF HEAVY METALS BY EVAPORATION FROM THE SURFACE OF THE TAILS
Keywords:
mining industry, heavy metals, tailings, expanded perliteAbstract
The solution of geoecological problems for some regions of Republic of Armenia is both of scientific and practical significance. It is conditioned by the growth of environmental tension associated with human activities, namely, with the active development of the mining industry. In this industry, significant negative environmental impacts are created by tailing dumps, the number and volume of which are increasing from year to year.
Currently, there are a large number of operating and mothballed tailings in Armenia, where slurry with a high concentration of heavy metals is supplied. Drainage waters cause pollution of the surrounding areas. They seep through the dams and the tailings dump bed and pollute the groundwater. A large amount of pollutants are emitted from the surface of the tailing dump during evaporation, as well as during wind loads.
Gas emissions from the surface of the tailing dump spread over long distances, polluting the soil cover, affecting the flora, as well as the health of the population.
To reduce the negative impact of gas emissions from the surface of the tailing dump, it is necessary to create certain barriers to the ingress of heavy metal ions into the environment. In this case, the use of methods to reduce evaporation from the surface of the reservoir is not acceptable. Evaporation from the surface of the tailing dump should be carried out, otherwise the material balance of the complex is disturbed and it will be necessary to increase the volume of the tailing dump from time to time.
This paper proposes a method for reducing emissions of heavy metals during evaporation from the surface of the tailing dump, which consists in the fact that the water surface is covered with a layer of expanded perlite. Experiments have shown that 70…80% of heavy metal ions are captured by a layer of expanded perlite, which contributes to solving the problem of reducing pollution and protecting the environment.
