Arsenic Stability In Fresh and Aged Amorphous Ferric Hydroxide Sludges Generated from Brine Treatment Processes

Using Environmental Protection Agency occurrence and concentration data, it is estimated that about 6 million pounds of arsenic-bearing residuals (ABSR) will be generated annually in the United States when full compliance with the new standard for arsenic in drinking water (10 μg/L) is realized. Effective management of disposal of ABSR requires both a full characterization of the materials and an understanding of the environment in which the disposal will occur. Currently, there are different testing methods to evaluate the stability of ABSR, the principal of which is the EPA Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure (TCLP). These tests indicate that common ABSRs may be disposed in mixed-solid waste landfills. However, this and previous work shows that these testing methods may significantly underestimate the degree and mechanism of arsenic mobilization from the residuals, because critical physical and chemical dissimilarities exist between the tests and landfill conditions. In addition, no current testing methods simulate the mineralogic aging in those ABSR, which exhibit further complexity. Landfill disposal involves liquid and solid residence times on the order of months and decades, respectively, whereas leaching tests are completed in two days or less. Consequently, time dependent re-mineralization of residuals that would be routinely expected in landfill time scales is not addressed by standard leaching tests. Treating arsenic brines by co-precipitation with iron oxyhydroxides is an established and effective remediation method for small quantities of highly concentrated liquid arsenic waste, such as brines derived from mine tailings, ion exchange resin regeneration, and reverse osmosis treatment of drinking water. However, amorphous ferric hydroxide (AFH) is expected to exhibit mineralogical aging analogous to the observed natural evolution of ferrihydrite to goethite and hematite. The aim of this research is to develop methods for characterization of AFH sludges precipitated from concentrated arsenic brines which exhibit mineralogical aging and to evaluate the impact of such aging on arsenic leachability. Overall, aging the sludge resulted in consistently higher arsenic release.

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Environmental Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

The University of Arizona.

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Mukiibi, Muhammed Mutyaba

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Ela, Wendell P
• Saez, Eduardo

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Supapan, Seraphin
• Schrader, Glenn

• arsenic
• water treatment
• Ferric Hydroxide
• landfills

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.

Language dc:language.iso

EN

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10150/194140

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/194140