Abstract:
This research investigated the best method for disposition of Lead-contaminated sediment using gravity concentration, soil washing and solidification process. The sample sediment came from Huay Khai Ti, Thong Pha Phum, Kanchanaburi Province. The 15,000 tons of sediment has a lead concentration of 75.4 g/kg. Its leachate contained only 2.84 mg/l. of lead which lower than 5 mg/l standard. However, the sediment had lead concentration higher than the 55 mg./kg. standard for agricultural soil. So, a suitable treatment method should be explored. 1. The gravity concentration process divided sediment into 2 parts. One is the concentrate and another is tailing. The lead concentration in tailing was reduced to 46.2 g/kg which was about 52.7% of sediment. Therefore, it was not hazardous waste by TCLP test but it was over the 55 mg/kg limit of lead in agricultural soil. So, it should be disposed of in a landfill. The concentrate had lead about 107.5 g/kg, and a total volume of 47.3% of the sediment. The concentrate could be fed to flotation process to produce lead concentrate for a smelter because of its lead concentration close to natural ore. 2. The soil washing process, HCl was more suitable than NaOH or tap water. The best situation for lead extraction in sediment was at 0.2 N, 500 rpm, 60 min. and at a ratio of solution to soil of 50:1 by weight which removed lead of around 90%. After separation of liquid and solid, the solid waste was so low in pH and retained lead solution at its surface. So, it must be washed by tap water twice until meeting the hazardous waste standard before final disposal. The leaching and washing solution were treated by NaOH and Na2S respectively. It was found that the NaOH precipitation for the leaching solution and 1st tap water solution could not remove lead meeting the effluent standard. The Na2S precipitation for the 2nd tap water solution did remove lead meeting the effluent standard. 3. The sediment having high lead concentration and fine-grained soil was solidified process by Portland Cement Type I. It was found that the amount of cement around 7.5 times by weight of the sediment and 3.5 times by weight of tailing from leaching were suitable to prevent the solubility of lead from solidified products to below hazardous waste standard. The most suitable method for treatment of the Lead-contaminated sediment was a gravity concentration method where its concentrate returns to the company's floatation process. And the cleaner tailing should be disposed of in a non-hazardous waste landfill. The total handling and disposal costs were about 150 bahts/tons