Effects of Contact Time and Flow Configuration on the Acid Mine Drainage Remediation Capabilities of Pervious Concrete

Sandisiwe Khanyisa Thisani, Daramy Vandi Von Kallon and Patrick Byrne
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Sandisiwe Khanyisa Thisani: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Technology, University of Johannesburg, Johannebsurg 2006, South Africa
Daramy Vandi Von Kallon: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Technology, University of Johannesburg, Johannebsurg 2006, South Africa
Patrick Byrne: School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L2 2QP, UK

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 19, 1-17

Abstract: This paper investigates the Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation capabilities of pozzolanic pervious concrete Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRBs) with a specific focus on the effects of flow configuration and contact time on the remediation efficiency. Raw AMD was collected from an abandoned coal mine. Two flow configurations, gravity flow and column flow, were tested at a laboratory scale with gradually increasing contact times. The gravity flow configuration with two orders of magnitude less liquid-concrete contact time achieved AMD treated water quality equivalent to the high retention column flow configuration. Concentrations of iron, aluminium, sulphate, magnesium and sodium were reduced by more than 99%, 80%, 17%, 22% and 20%, respectively, at the tested limits while calcium and potassium concentrations were increased by up to 16% and 300%, respectively. The study findings indicate that the lifecycle costs of pervious concrete PRBs can be significantly reduced when the PRBs are operated under gravity flow.

Keywords: Acid Mine Drainage; pervious concrete; Permeable Reactive Barrier; contact time; flow configuration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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