Removal of metals from technogenic waters from abandoned coal mines using geochemical barriers

Abstract

A study was made of the possibility of using natural materials (vermiculites, zeolite) and wastes (ash from the Partizansk Coal-Burning Power Plant) as sorbents in geochemical barriers to manage discharges (technogenic waters) from abandoned coal mines and reduce metal concentrations to established, acceptable standards. Vermiculite from the Kovdor deposit was shown to reduce the concentrations of Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn cations, in both direct and inverse soil column models, by between two and five times.