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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Citric acid and sulfuric acid were more effective in nickel than other acid solutions, providing motivation for the potential use of citric acid in nickel leaching. Table 1 lists various leaching acids and their functional abilities under various conditions. This table emphasizes the high recovery of target metals in short periods, ranging from a few minutes to a few hours. 3.3. Environmental Impact of Waste Generated from Conventional Processing MethodsAmple evidence of mining’s impact on surrounding ecosystems demonstrates the process’s many devastating consequences, including changes in the interspecific interactions of resident organisms [7,106]. Even with advancements in conventional methods for mitigating these environmental impacts, waste generated during the extraction and processing of mineral ores is unavoidable. As a result, careful planning for these wastes and their management is essential. Most governments address this by imposing regulatory measures and policies governing mine waste treatment and storage. However, oversight and adherence continue to be challenges.Mine tailings and overburden are the two major types of solid waste associated with all mining processes (waste). Their environmental effects vary, but mine tailings are thought to be more problematic [26,38]. These mine tailings have been linked to several documented cases of water pollution, with most environmental regulatory bodies agreeing that water contamination from mining should be considered one of the world’s top three ecological security threats [6,7,107,108,109].The presence of amalgamated sulfide minerals, such as pyrite and pyrrhotite, in most precious metals contributes to the toxicity of mine tailings. These sulfide-containing minerals are responsible for acid production, which promotes metal solubilization in tailings [12]. Although the sulfide minerals coexist with the carbonate minerals that are responsible for neutralizing the produced acid [110], these carbonate minerals are usually insufficient to completely neutralize the concentration of acids present. The most likely reason is that they are not present in sufficient quantities to adequately counteract acidic effects. Ultimately, the failure to completely neutralize all H+ within mine tailings that come into contact with water results in the production of AMD. The gold and coal deposits in South Africa are an example of this, where the neutralization effect is overwhelmed by the production of this acid, as demonstrated by the visible common problem of AMD in South Africa [111]. Similarly, even when complete neutralization is achieved in the presence of sufficient carbonates, the product derived from it is referred to as contaminated neutral drainage (CND) [112]. CNDs are still regarded as a problem for the environment because toxic elements, such as Se, As, Ni, Zn, and Co, are frequently present in high concentrations in these bodies of water, posing a health risk to microorganisms, plants, and animals [12,113]. This is exacerbated by environmental phenomena, such as bioaccumulation and biomagnification [114,115].It is critical to recognize the contribution of comminution to chemical reaction rates through the crushing and milling of rocks and ore. As a result of the increased surface area, favorable reaction kinetics in the presence of oxygen and water are facilitated. The tailings’ sulfide components undergo an oxidative reaction that uses
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