Dissolution of salts encapsulated with elemental sulfur.

摘要

Encapsulating solid salts with elemental sulfur and simultaneous disposal of them into tailing ponds is a brand new idea in managing the large volume of the two oilsands industrial byproducts. The dissolution of encapsulated salts and the environmental impact are the two concerns relating to the disposal.;Measurements of pH, electric conductivity, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, and ion concentration were conducted during the laboratory research. Analytical and numerical models were developed to determine the diffusion coefficients of dissolved salts through elemental sulfur caps.;Neutral pH conditions were found at the interface of salt-sulfur solid and CT release water. The back-calculated salt diffusion coefficients through a layer of porous elemental sulfur were in the order of that in unsaturated soils. Encapsulating solid salts with elemental sulfur and simultaneous disposal of them into tailing ponds was concluded to be a viable method of managing solid salts and elemental sulfur.