An economic analysis of coal desulpharisation by froth flotation to prevent acid rock drainage (ARD) and an economic review of capping covers and ARD treatment processes

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dc.contributor.advisorFranzidis, Jean-Paulen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorHarrison, STLen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorJera, Melody Kudzaien_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2014-07-31T11:09:13Z
dc.date.available2014-07-31T11:09:13Z
dc.date.issued2013en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes abstract.
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references.
dc.description.abstractAcidic drainage as a result of mining and mineral processing activities is a growing concern. The effects of Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) include environmental pollution in the affected areas and beyond. As South Africa has water challenges, the potential threat of continual depletion of useable water resources through their contamination by ARD and other mining activities may affect economic productivity, as well as quality of life. Currently used ARD remediation measures are variable and costly, not only in South Africa but worldwide. End of pipe approaches such as treatment by neutralisation fail to reduce the risk of ARD generation and provide long term solutions. Further it fails to address the limited resource utilisation of the byproduct materials, currently disposed of as ARD forming wastes. The Department of Chemical Engineering, at UCT, has focused research onto the prevention of ARD generation and minimisation of waste. One approach proposed is the two stage froth flotation process for separating sulphides, responsible for ARD formation, from the remaining tailings, leaving these benign with respect to ARD. Testwork results have proven its technical feasibility using porphyry copper tailings, fine coal and more recently gold tailings. Historically, ultrafine coal was not treated by most collieries in South Africa, but disposed as waste. Oxidation of the pyrite in the coal leads to generation of acidic water. In this project, an economic analysis of the coal two stage flotation process for the mitigation of ARD formation is considered. This project proposes ARD prevention by desulphurisation of sulphide rich waste coal material as an in-process approach which can be incorporated into mineral process flowsheets or as an add-on process for desulphurisation of old workings. The two stage flotation may yield a valuable mineral or coal product, as well as a low volume sulphide rich fraction which can be processed further to yield sulphuric acid or disposed of with containment and a benign tailings fraction which can be used as cover material or disposed conventionally.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationJera, M. K. (2013). <i>An economic analysis of coal desulpharisation by froth flotation to prevent acid rock drainage (ARD) and an economic review of capping covers and ARD treatment processes</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment ,Department of Chemical Engineering. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5311en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationJera, Melody Kudzai. <i>"An economic analysis of coal desulpharisation by froth flotation to prevent acid rock drainage (ARD) and an economic review of capping covers and ARD treatment processes."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment ,Department of Chemical Engineering, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5311en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationJera, M. 2013. An economic analysis of coal desulpharisation by froth flotation to prevent acid rock drainage (ARD) and an economic review of capping covers and ARD treatment processes. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.risTY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Jera, Melody Kudzai AB - Acidic drainage as a result of mining and mineral processing activities is a growing concern. The effects of Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) include environmental pollution in the affected areas and beyond. As South Africa has water challenges, the potential threat of continual depletion of useable water resources through their contamination by ARD and other mining activities may affect economic productivity, as well as quality of life. Currently used ARD remediation measures are variable and costly, not only in South Africa but worldwide. End of pipe approaches such as treatment by neutralisation fail to reduce the risk of ARD generation and provide long term solutions. Further it fails to address the limited resource utilisation of the byproduct materials, currently disposed of as ARD forming wastes. The Department of Chemical Engineering, at UCT, has focused research onto the prevention of ARD generation and minimisation of waste. One approach proposed is the two stage froth flotation process for separating sulphides, responsible for ARD formation, from the remaining tailings, leaving these benign with respect to ARD. Testwork results have proven its technical feasibility using porphyry copper tailings, fine coal and more recently gold tailings. Historically, ultrafine coal was not treated by most collieries in South Africa, but disposed as waste. Oxidation of the pyrite in the coal leads to generation of acidic water. In this project, an economic analysis of the coal two stage flotation process for the mitigation of ARD formation is considered. This project proposes ARD prevention by desulphurisation of sulphide rich waste coal material as an in-process approach which can be incorporated into mineral process flowsheets or as an add-on process for desulphurisation of old workings. The two stage flotation may yield a valuable mineral or coal product, as well as a low volume sulphide rich fraction which can be processed further to yield sulphuric acid or disposed of with containment and a benign tailings fraction which can be used as cover material or disposed conventionally. DA - 2013 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2013 T1 - An economic analysis of coal desulpharisation by froth flotation to prevent acid rock drainage (ARD) and an economic review of capping covers and ARD treatment processes TI - An economic analysis of coal desulpharisation by froth flotation to prevent acid rock drainage (ARD) and an economic review of capping covers and ARD treatment processes UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5311 ER -en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/5311
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationJera MK. An economic analysis of coal desulpharisation by froth flotation to prevent acid rock drainage (ARD) and an economic review of capping covers and ARD treatment processes. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment ,Department of Chemical Engineering, 2013 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5311en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentCentre for Bioprocess Engineering Researchen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Engineering and the Built Environment
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherBioprocess Engineeringen_ZA
dc.titleAn economic analysis of coal desulpharisation by froth flotation to prevent acid rock drainage (ARD) and an economic review of capping covers and ARD treatment processesen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMScEngen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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