DETOXIFICATION OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE USING HIGH PERFORMANCE CHELATION TECHNOLOGY

THE ABANDONED BERKELEY PIT COPPER MINE SITE IN BUTTE, MONTANA, IS A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE BUTTE SILVERBOW CREEK SUPERFUND SITE. IT CONSISTS OF SEVERAL BILLION GALLONS OF ACID (PH 2-3) MINE DRAINAGE THAT IS CONTAMINATED WITH TOXIC LEVELS OF A VARIETY OF HEAVY METALS, ARSENIC, AND SULFURIC ACID. THE FLOW OF CONTAMINATED WATER INTO THE PIT IS ABOUT 7 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY. CHROMATOCHEM, INC., AND ITS COLLABORATORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA, HAVE DEVELOPED AHIGH PERFORMANCE CHELATION CHROMATOGRAPHY (HPCC) SYSTEM THATEFFECTIVELY REMOVES THE HEAVY METALS AND ARSENIC WHILE INCREASING THE PH OF THE DRAINAGE BY 2-3 LOGS. THE SYSTEM PRODUCES WATER THAT HAS LESS THAN 1 PART/MILLION OF TOXIC METALS AND AFFORDS AT LEAST A 20-FOLD CONCENTRATION OF THE METALS, MAKING RECOVERY AND SALE OF METALS POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION, THE DIFFERING BINDING CONSTANTS OF THE VARIOUS METAL SPECIES FOR THE AFFINITY SUPPORT ALLOW FOR DIFFERENTIAL ELUTION OF THE METALS FROM THE AFFINITY SUPPORT, INCREASING THEIR VALUE. THIS PROPOSAL WILL DEMONSTRATE THAT THE PROCESS CAN BE "SCALED UP" BY USING A HPCC COLUMN THAT CAN PROCESS 4 GALLONS OF ACID MINE WATER/MINUTE. STUDIES WILL BE PERFORMED TO DETERMINE THE CAPACITY AND DURABILITY OF THE COLUMN AND TO MAXIMIZE THE DIFFERENTIAL ELUTION OF VARIOUS METAL SPECIES FROM THE COLUMN. THE HPCC SYSTEM OFFERS A METHOD TO ECONOMICALLY "DETOXIFY" VAST QUANTITIES OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE WHILE RECOVERING VALUABLE METALS TO HELP DEFRAY THE EXPENSE OF OPERATION.