Silica-polyamine composite materials for heavy metal ion removal, recovery, and recycling. II. Metal ion separations from mine wastewater and soft metal ion extraction efficiency

Silica-polyamine composites have been synthesized which have metal ion capacities as high as 0.84 mmol/g for copper ions removed from aqueous solutions. In previous reports it has been demonstrated that these materials survive more than 3000 cycles of metal ion extraction, elution, and regeneration with almost no loss of capacity (less than 10%). This paper describes two modified silica-polyamine composite materials and reveals the results of tests designed to determine the effectiveness of these materials for extracting and separating metal ions from actual mining wastewater samples. Using these materials, the concentration of copper, aluminum, and zinc in Berkeley Pit mine wastewater is reduced to below allowable discharge limits. The recovered copper and zinc solutions were greater than 90% pure, and metal ion concentration factors of over 20 for copper were realized. Further, the ability of one of these materials to decrease low levels of the soft metals cadmium, mercury, and lead from National Sanitation Foundation recommended challenge levels to below Environmental Protection Agency allowable limits is also reported.