Uso de zeolitas natural de origen chileno para la remoción de iones metálicos procedentes de efluentes mineros

Abstract

Con la infrormación generada en este estudio se obtuvieron parámetros operacionales destinados al diseño de una planta piloto de tratamiento de aguas contam¡nadas cuya unidad princ¡pal consiste en columnas de lecho fijo empaguetadas con zeo¡itas. D¡cha planta piloto se ha puesto en operación en un pilotaje llevado a cabo en una empresa minera de la lV Región del país. El diseño y operación de la planta piloto queda fuera del alcance de este seminario de titulo y corresponde a la segunda etapa del proyecto FDl, sin embargo, para demostrar la aplicabilidad del presente estudio se incluye el diseño preliminar de la planta piloto que ha sido desarrollado en el Programa de Tecnologías Ambientales de Fundación Chile.

This research ¡s framed ins¡de the project FDI "lnnovative technologies for the recirculation of the water and effluent treatment in min¡ng processes using Chileans zeolites" canied out by the Program of Environmental Technologies of Foundation Chile. The first stage of this project constitutes the present work and it conesponds to the study at level of laboratory of removal of metal cations, Cu'*, Fe" , pb" , Zn" , fro* aqueous solutions using Chilean zeolites. The study has been divided in two phases, the first focus on the experimental design and optim2ation of operational parameters for the removal of metal cations from synthetics solutions. The optimum parameters found was: Na-enriched morden¡te, grain size 0.25 - 1.0 mm, pH operation 4.0. ln the second phase were appl¡ed opt¡mal parameters established from the study with synthetics samples to studies of removal of metal cations ¡n a mining RIL in continuous and batch operation systems, demonstrate the capac¡ty of zeolites to remove metal cations from wastewaters. Finally, preliminary tests were carried out in order to examine the regeneration capacity of the zeolites employed on the removal metal ¡ons used solut¡on NaCl for elution of the ions from zeolite. W¡th the informat¡on generated in this study were obtained operat¡ves parameters oriented to the design of pilot wastewater treatment plant wh¡ch the main un¡t consists in packed fixed beds w¡th zeolites. This pilot plant has been canied out experimentally in a minang company in the lV Region of the country. The design and operation of pilot plant is beyond the scope of this irwestigation and belongs to the second phase of this FDI projec{, however, to demonstrate the applicability of this study the preliminary design of the pilot plant there includes that has been developed in the Program of Environmental Technologies of Foundation Chile.