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DEMONSTRATION OF AQUAFIX AND SAPS PASSIVE MINE WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES AT SUMMITVILLE MINE SITE, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT
Citation:
Tetra Tech EM Inc. DEMONSTRATION OF AQUAFIX AND SAPS PASSIVE MINE WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES AT SUMMITVILLE MINE SITE, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/540/R-04/501, 2005.
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Description:
As part of the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency evaluated two passive water treatment (PWT) technologies for metals removal from acid mine drainage (AMD) at the Summitville Mine Superfund Site in southern Colorado. The technologies supplied alkalinity to the mine drainage along with aeration to precipitate metals as oxides and hydroxides (oxyhydroxides). The metals studied were aluminum, copper, iron, manganese and zinc. Two technologies were evaluated for this project: the Successive Alkalinity Producing System (SAPS), a PWT technology, and the Aquafix treatment system, which is a semi-passive treatment technology. For the SAPS technology, limestone served as the source of alkalinity. For the Aquafix system lime pebbles were used. Removal efficiencies ranged from 11 to 97 percent for the SAPS, and as much as 97 to 99 percent for the Aquafix treatment system. Economic data indicate that the costs for both the SAPS and Aquafix systems is $0.005 per gallon for the 25 gpm systems.