What is heap leaching?4 answersHeap leaching is an extractive metallurgical technology used to economically process low-grade ores that are not typically exploited. It involves stacking crushed ore on a liner and then flowing a microbial solution through the heap to catalyze the decomposition of the ore without grinding. Heap leaching is commonly used in industrial mining to recover precious metals such as gold, uranium, and copper from their primary resources. It is a low-cost and environmentally beneficial process that produces only minor emissions from furnaces. The leaching ratio (LR) or irrigation ratio (IR) is a mathematical relation used in heap leaching operations to relate operational parameters with metal extraction. The LR has been widely used in Chile for copper production through heap leaching. The process also allows for the recovery of critical elements used in clean and green energy applications. Additionally, heap leaching can provide valuable information on the distribution of gold particles in ores, which can aid in predicting occurrence patterns and optimizing the leaching process.
Landfill leachate concentrate?5 answersLandfill leachate concentrate (LLC) is a concentrated waste stream from landfill leachate treatment systems. Improper management of LLC can exacerbate the performance of upstream treatment processes and pose risks to the surrounding environments near landfill sites. Various technologies have been developed for LLC treatment, including incineration, coagulation, advanced oxidation, evaporation, and solidification/stabilization. Evaporation is commonly used for treating landfill leachate membrane concentrate (LLMC), but the high concentration of fulvic acid (FA) in LLMC can decrease heat transfer coefficient and evaporation capacity. Softening pretreatment can reduce the FA concentration and improve removal efficiency. Membrane filtration processes have been used to treat landfill leachate, but finding a final destination for LLMC is challenging. A resource recovery approach is recommended, which involves producing clean water and add-value materials from LLMC. Electrochemical methods, such as peroxi-coagulation (PC), have shown promise for efficient treatment of landfill leachate concentrate. The PC process combines •OH oxidation and iron hydroxides coagulation, resulting in effective removal of organic contaminants and heavy metals. Incineration is another effective method for treating landfill leachate, and the arrangement of burners can influence the combustion process and treatment efficiency.
What is water leaching?4 answersWater leaching is a process of extracting soluble constituents from a solid material using a liquid solvent. It can be used to produce concentrated solutions of valuable solid materials or to remove undesirable solutes from a solid phase. Leaching can be performed under batch, semicontinuous, or continuous operating modes. The effluents from the leaching process consist of solid-free liquid called overflow and wet solids called underflow. The final overflow contains some of the solvent and most of the solute, while the final underflow mainly contains insoluble residues and the solvent. In the context of aluminum recycling, water leaching is used to remove salts from salt slags, resulting in a leached material with reduced salt content. Water leaching can also be used to reduce the ash content in oil palm residues, making them suitable for thermal energy generation.
What are the potential impacts of leachate plumes on the environment and human health?5 answersLeachate plumes from landfills have potential impacts on the environment and human health. The pollutants in landfill leachate can contaminate the underlying soil and groundwater, leading to detrimental effects on the ecology and food chains. This can result in carcinogenic effects, acute toxicity, and genotoxicity in human beings. Open dumps and uncontrolled landfilling practices pose dangers of indiscriminate waste dumping and uncontrolled leachate migration. Engineered landfills, such as sanitary landfills, with artificial liners or low permeability soils can help minimize leachate migration. Landfills with solid waste release strongly anaerobic leachate containing dissolved organic carbon, salts, ammonium, and specific organic compounds and metals. The leachate plume hosts various biogeochemical processes, which can potentially lead to natural attenuation of specific organic contaminants. However, the complexity of leachate plumes and the presence of multiple plumes can make the implementation of natural attenuation challenging. Leachate and waste disposal practices, such as landfilling and incineration, can have direct and indirect impacts on the environment and human health, including material destruction, health damage, ecosystem imbalance, and climate change. Groundwater contaminated by landfill leachate can have significant effects, but remedial alternatives such as ground-hardening and drainage ditches can help control contaminant diffusion and protect groundwater.
Does microplastic leachate cause toxicity to primary producers?5 answersMicroplastic leachate has been shown to cause toxicity to primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. Research has demonstrated that primary producer-microplastic interactions can alter algal photosynthesis, growth, gene expression, and colony size and morphology. The leachate from both virgin and beached plastic pellets has been found to be toxic to marine organisms, with the toxicity of the leachate from beached pellets being much higher than that of virgin pellets. Additionally, the leaching behavior of additives from microplastics has been shown to depend on water environments, and the leached chemicals may pose ecological risks to aquatic organisms. These findings suggest that microplastic leachate can have detrimental effects on primary producers, highlighting the need to incorporate the effects of microplastics on primary producers into research on microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.
How leachate affect to plastic in landfill?3 answersLeachate from landfills can have a significant impact on plastic materials. The disintegration of plastic waste in landfills leads to the formation of microplastics in the leachate, which can contaminate groundwater and pose risks to human and environmental health. Studies have shown that landfill leachates can contain varying concentrations of microplastics, depending on landfill conditions and treatment methods. The presence of microplastics in leachate is a concern due to their ability to adsorb toxic and persistent hazardous chemicals, increasing the potential risks. The neutral buoyancy and irregular shape of microplastics make them difficult to remove by sedimentation, posing challenges for their mitigation. However, membrane treatment has been found to effectively reduce microplastics loading in leachate. Additionally, the dewatering liquor from sludge can contain a high amount of microplastics, suggesting the need for separation before recirculation. Understanding the factors influencing the release of microplastics from landfills and developing technologies for their mitigation are crucial for preserving environmental health.