Case Studies: Treatment of Acid Mine and Metal Contaminated Waters Using Zeolites

October 07-09, 2014 | Crowne Plaza Denver Downtown |
Denver, CO
Dan Eyde – St. Cloud Mining Company
Tiff Hilton – WOPEC
Barbara Carroll - GeoGRAFX
St Cloud Mining 1 10/2/2014

Zeolites are used
commercially for
several reasons:
* Unique absorption
* Ion exchange
* Molecular sieve
* Catalytic abilities
St Cloud Mining 2
Natural zeolites are hydrated aluminosilicates.
10/2/2014

 Natural zeolites are readily available. The resources are
large, well tested and consistent in performance.
 There are a number of available technologies that improve
sorbent selectivity or increase capacity for specific
contaminants.
 Technology is proven in municipal and drinking water,
nuclear, and industrial water treatment applications and is
becoming more common in polishing mine effluents prior to
discharge.

St Cloud Mining 4
Project Contaminant
Three Mile Island Cesium, Strontium
Kendall Gold Mine – Hilger, MT Thallium, Cu, Pb, Zn, Co
Homestake Legacy Site - Grants, NM Uranium
Colorado Tailings, Butte, MT Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag - Pilot
Greenbriar Coal – West Virgina AMD, Mn, Al - Pilot
Rimcon – Wyoming Mitigation High Sodic waters
WRT – >100 Commercial installations Arsenic, Radium, Thorium, Uranium
Fukushima, Japan – Kurion Cesium, Strontium, Americium, Calcium
10/2/2014

Issues to be resolved included the following:
 AMD – pH of the water can be extremely low
 Manganese
 Aluminum
 Iron
 Turbidity
 TDS

Parameter Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3
pH 3.31 2.97 2.52
Dissolved Fe 2.48 9.23 617.20
Dissolved Mn 32.23 53.13 29.34
Dissolved Al 48.82 52.24 109.80
RAW WATER ANALYSIS

Parameter Raw Water After Zeolite
pH 3.31 5.71
Dissolved Fe 2.48 0.21
Dissolved Mn 32.23 8.27
Dissolved Al 48.82 0.11
Sample 1
pH 2.97 5.32
Sample 2
pH 2.52 4.00
Sample 3

Parameter Raw AMD AMD-NaOH AMD-NaOH
Zeolite
AMD-Ca(OH)2 AMD-Ca(OH)2
Zeolite
pH 3.45 10.89 8.29 11.71 9.64
Alkalinity <0.45 162.64 25.23 604.67 31.51
Acidity 739.89 <0.33 <0.33 <0.33 <0.33
Conductivity 4,410.00 4,310.00 2,548.00 4,820.00 2,677.00
Dissolved Fe 213.00 0.01 0.04 0.02 0.01
Dissolved Mn 30.50 <0.001 0.02 0.001 <0.001
Dissolved Al 52.68 1.46 <0.008 0.127 <0.008
Dissolved Na 25.78 871.30 336.20 54.44 156.80
Dissolved Mg 149.30 0.34 35.37 0.24 16.01
Dissolved Ca 194.86 84.61 221.60 936.30 518.40
TDS 3,111.00 2,914.00 2,025.00 3,320.00 2,120.00

 Uranium Processing facility built 1958 on remote ranchland
 Operated by Homestake or related entities through 1990
 Presently inactive except for ongoing remediating
implemented in 1977
 June 2007 NM lowered standard for uranium in groundwater
from 5000 ppb to 30 ppb matching the EPA MCL since 2000
 Use RO to augment the groundwater cleanup activities. Brine
from RO put in evaporation ponds
 Testing zeolite to treat low concentrations of Ur contaminated
water from Upper Chinle formation . Supernatent re-injected
at rate of 50-100 gpm. System design RIMCON, LLC.

Zeolite pilot-test area on the south side of the top of the large tailing
pile. Note extraction wells (white) and piping in foreground used to convey
collected groundwater to the RO treatment plant or to one of the evaporation
ponds for disposal. View looking northeast.
Zeolite Pilot-Test Area

Zeolite pilot-test pit on the top of the large tailing pile. The zeolite is
used to extract low-concentration uranium before being re-injected at 50
gallons per minute. Pit is lined with a 60 millimeter thick high density
polyethylene (HPDE) liner. View looking northeast.
Zeolite Pilot-Test Pit

 Pilot scale system worked as designed.
 Homestake committed to installing large scale
system.
 Permitting and regulatory approvals received.
 Full scale installation late 2014-15.
For further information on system contact:
RIMCON, LLC
Dale Shay – Principal
rimcon@midconetwork.com
10/2/2014St Cloud Mining 21

 Kendall Mine area in intermittent operation since
1880.Present operations started in 1981 and
continued through 1995 with gold recovery
through 1997.
 All components of the Closure Water Management
plan – Watershed flow augmentation,
Groundwater capture, zeolite water treatment,
discharge of treated water into the Kendall Pit in
place sine 1998

Metal
Concentration (mg/L)
TCLP SPLP
Arsenic < 0.5 < 0.5
Barium < 10 < 1
Cadmium < 0.1 < 0.1
Chromium < 0.5 < 0.5
Lead < 0.5 < 0.5
Mercury < 0.02 < 0.02
Selenium < 0.1 < 0.1
Silver < 0.5 < 0.5
Thallium 1.89 0.08

Watershed area mitigation of AMD and selected
heavy metals:
◦ Raise pH of drainage waters
◦ Reduce zinc, cadmium, lead, and copper in Alum
Gulch-Flux Canyon and Cox Gulch-3R Canyon, SE
Arizona utilizing gabion retaining wall and footer
structures combined with zeolite material
adsorption

 Legacy mining activity
at the top of the
watershed produces
acid mine drainage
which is incorporated
in groundwater &
surface water
discharges (tailings,
tunneling, wall rock)

 Several large removal actions
and expensive mine portal
closures implemented in the
area have had little effect on
heavy metals and AMD -
impacted loading
characteristics of several
tributaries flowing into
Sonoita Creek and Patagonia
Lake.

St Cloud Mining 36
Geologic Influences on
Water and Soil and Overall
Watershed Ecology
10/2/2014

Average chemical composition of mine tailings in the Harshaw Creek Watershed
(measured in ppm). From Dean (1982, p.46)
TRENCH MINE TAILINGS
pH 2.6
SO4 41,076
Fe 6,050
Cu 43
Mn 4,621
Zn 838
As 466
Pb 3,972
Cd 20
Cr 16
Se 0
Hg 5.4
Ag 25
Al 528, 725
Storm-related Surface water from Trench Mine
Tailings (mg/L)

GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
WATERSHED POSITION
Faults and
sympathetic
fractures influence
movement of water
through the system
in shallow and deep
groundwater

Load estimates calculated during base-flow conditions at
Trench Camp indicate that the discharge produces
approximately 20 lbs of combined metals (Cd+Co+Cu+Ni+Pb+Zn) per month; the World’s Fair
segment produces approximately 86 lbs of combined metals (Cd+Co+Cu+Ni+Pb+Zn) per month.

A series of gabion retainer
wall structures and stream-
bed footers with integrated
zeolite materials will be
installed in favorable areas
downstream of perennial
spring discharge points
which are the sources of
loading in the streams .

Continue monitoring water
quality inflow and outflow,
soil chemistry and aqueous
invertebrate community
health upstream and
downstream of the
implementation for overall
effectiveness and
continuity.

Daniel T. Eyde
St. Cloud Mining
520-744-8845
deyde@stcloudmining.com

Case Studies: Treatment of Acid Mine and Metal Contaminated Waters Using Zeolites

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