TREATMENT OF HYDROMETALLURGICAL PROCESS WATERS OF THE NAVOI MINING AND METALLURGICAL COMPANY WITH AN IRON(III) CHLORIDE COAGULANT PRODUCED FROM LOCAL ORE
- Authors
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Dilshod Olzhaev
Navoi State University of Mining and Technologies, Navoi, Uzbekistan -
Uktam Temirov
Navoi State University of Mining and Technologies, Navoi, Uzbekistan -
Nurmurodov Tulkin
Navoi State University of Mining and Technologies, Navoi, Uzbekistan
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- Keywords:
- ferric chloride coagulation hydrometallurgy mine water sulfate arsenic Navoi
- Abstract
- Hydrometallurgical plants in the arid Navoi region recirculate large volumes of process water that accumulate sulfate, chloride, suspended solids and dissolved metals. This study evaluated a liquid iron(III) chloride coagulant obtained by hydrochloric acid processing of a local iron-bearing ore (32.81 % FeCl₃) for treating three process streams of the Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Company: the circulating water of Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 4 (GMZ-4), the water of its tailings ponds 1–2, and the recycled technical water of the BIOX shop of Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 3 (GMZ-3). Each stream was analysed before and after laboratory coagulation and compared with the plant regulation targets or maximum permissible concentrations (MPC). In GMZ-4 circulating water sulfate decreased from 816.8 to 380.4 mg/dm³ (53.4 %) and suspended solids from 31.2 to 13.3 mg/dm³ (57.4 %); in the tailings-pond water sulfate fell from 1645 to 403 mg/dm³ (75.5 %) and chloride from 226.4 to 57.8 mg/dm³ (74.5 %), meeting the regulation targets. In the BIOX water Mn and Cu were removed by 85 % and Pb by 80 %, but As (20.0 → 10.0 mg/dm³), Ni (5.0 → 2.0) and Co (2.4 → 1.3) remained far above the MPC. Per 1000 m³ of treated water, 1242 kg of sulfate and 168.6 kg of chloride (pond water) and 10.0 kg of arsenic and 3.0 kg of nickel (BIOX water) are kept out of the receiving environment. Pre-oxidation and pH adjustment to 8–9 are recommended for arsenic- and nickel-rich streams.
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