Peat Derived Anion Exchange Materials for Sulfate Remediation in Mine Pit Water

Abstract

A number of new natural peat derived anion exchange materials were developed in our laboratory. A batch testing of these new anion exchange materials were conducted. Recently we have demonstrated that peat derived anion exchange materials have strong binding affinity to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The initial positive results prompted us to investigate their efficiency to remove sulfate anions from mine pit water. Isotherms for chloride to sulfate exchange in a selected material fit Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. The practical limiting retention capacity was found to be 108 mg/g for the material (SY2205165) and 167 mg/g for the commercial anion exchange resin (Resinex). The new materials demonstrate their potential for the sulfate removal from the contaminated water sources. Further experiments on evaluation of selected peat lignin derived anion exchange material as well as sulfate selective commercial anion exchange resin in the column environment will be performed for the practical implementation.