CHARACTERIZATION OF IRON OXIDES FROM ABANDONED MINE DRAINAGE DISCHARGES

摘要

This study characterizes mine-drainage derived iron oxides as a precursor for the determination of potential reuses in sustainable water treatment processes. Pure iron oxides have been established as an effective sorptive media or coating for water treatment, yet iron oxides from mine drainages have largely been ignored as a source for this raw material. In addition to passive mine drainage treatment systems, environmental discharges of mine water and associated iron deposits were also examined. In total 13 sources of iron oxides were collected, these sources include 12 coal mining related discharges and one hard rock mining discharge. Water quality and dissolved metals data for the mine water were analyzed to aid in correlating site specific mine water conditions and dominant form of iron oxide present at each location.