Investigation of Factors Affecting the Fate and Transport of Toxic Elements from the Wastes of Zinc Leaching Plant to Environment

Rajaie Najafabadi, Majid; Eskandari, Shahla; Moradkhani, Davood; Sedaghat, Behzad; Khodadadi, A

Investigation of Factors Affecting the Fate and Transport of Toxic Elements from the Wastes of Zinc Leaching Plant to Environment

Document Type : research - paper

Authors

¹ Amirkabir university of technology, student of M.Sc of Mineral Processing

² Student of Mineral Processing, International University of Imam Khomeini, Ghazvin, Iran

³ Faculty of Engineering, Zanjan University, Zanjan, Iran

⁴ R&D Center, Research and Engineering Company for Non-ferrous Metals, Zanjan, Iran

⁵ Tarbiat Modares

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines the main factors affecting transport of toxic elements from waste of leaching of Zinc leaching plant to the environment, during which behavior and solubility of heavy metals and toxic levels of Zn, Ni, Co, Cd, Mn and Pb in column leaching were investigated. Parameters included: flow rate, pH of input solution and leaching time. Filter cake highest solubility leaching was found at flow rate = 1×10-6 m3/min, pH = 5 and time = 20 days. A multiple regression analysis was applied to identify the effective parameters. Leaching time was the dominant factor on transport of toxic elements to the environment. A geostatistical commercial software called SPSS 15 was used to relate dissolution percent to flow rate, pH and leaching time. Critical situation in which toxic elements would be transported from Zinc leaching plant were determined. Key Words: toxic elements, Zinc leaching plant, Leaching filter cake, Column leaching

Keywords