Valorization of abandoned mine wastewater for the production of energy in a reverse electrodialysis cell

The study explores the technical feasibility of using abandoned mining site wastewater, specifically acid mine drainage (AMD), as an electrode solution in a reverse electrodialysis (RED) stack for energy production. Through experiments using a RED cell with varying electrode solutions, it was determ...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Delgado González, Yelitza, Muñoz Morales, Martín, López Fernández, Ester, Fernández Morales, Francisco Jesús, Llanos López, Javier
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
Repositorio:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
OAI Identifier:oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/33024
Acceso en línea:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2023.101608
https://hdl.handle.net/10578/33024
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Acid mine drainage
Wastewater valorization
Reverse electrodialysis
Energy production
Redox pair
Descripción
Sumario:The study explores the technical feasibility of using abandoned mining site wastewater, specifically acid mine drainage (AMD), as an electrode solution in a reverse electrodialysis (RED) stack for energy production. Through experiments using a RED cell with varying electrode solutions, it was determined that the system achieved a maximum power density of 0.327 W m-2cell pair (5.01 W m-2electrode) when using simple mixtures of Cu2+ and Fe2+ ions, aligning with previous research on the Fe2+/Fe3+ redox pair. Synthetic solutions mimicking AMD composition also yielded promising results. When operating the system with real AMD effluent from an abandoned mine, a slightly lower maximum power density of 0.137 W m-2cell pair was achieved, only 5.5 % lower than with synthetic AMD. An extended-duration test showed a minor increase in pH in the electrode solution, but importantly, no metal deposition occurred on the electrode surface, as the pH consistently remained below 3.5 throughout the test. These findings indicate the potential of AMD as a viable electrode solution, offering a promising avenue for further research in the development of more sustainable RED systems.