Extraction of valuable metals from acid mine drainage by an electrochemically activated limestone system.

ABSTRACT: Acid mine drainage (AMD) contains toxic yet valuable heavy metals. Conventional chemical neutralization using hydrated lime is highly efficient in mitigating heavy metal pollution, yet it generates hazardous solid wastes and is inefficient in recovering critical metal resources. Here, we report the design and demonstration of an electrochemically activated limestone (EAL) system for AMD treatment and valuable metal extraction. The EAL system extracted 82.3-100.0% of different metals (Cu, Cd, Zn) with high purity (~81.3 wt% valuable metals) through electro-reduction and local high pH-mediated precipitation when treating simulated AMD with varied conditions and actual AMD at energy consumption of 0.006-0.180 kW·h g^-1 metal. In addition, the effluent after the EAL treatment contain

SUBMITTER: Li W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12280146 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature