Comportamento de uma área de resíduos de bauxita durante a operação de enchimento.

A técnica de deposição de resíduos de processamento de bauxita prevê uma operação inicial de lançamento de resíduos, por via úmida, no interior de reservatórios artificiais. Nesta fase de deposição, os resíduos são lançados em forma de polpa, sofrendo processos de sedimentação e adensamento por peso próprio. A vida útil dos reservatórios depende fundamentalmente do comportamento geotécnico do resíduo, cujas propriedades variam ao longo do tempo e da profundidade. A presente dissertação tem como objetivo a análise do comportamento de uma área de resíduos de bauxita durante a operação de enchimento do reservatório. Para tanto, foi utilizado o programa Plaxis, que executa análises tensão-deformação pelo método dos elementos finitos. Os parâmetros geotécnicos do resíduo foram definidos com base em ensaios de adensamento e piezocone, executados em amostras representativas da polpa de resíduos. Para calibração do modelo, a batimetria executada no reservatório foi confrontada com as cotas de enchimento previstas numericamente. Finalmente, a distribuição dos parâmetros geotécnicos (peso específico, índice de vazios, permeabilidade) com a profundidade prevista numericamente foi confrontada com os valores medidos no campo, ao final da etapa de enchimento. O conhecimento da variação dos parâmetros geotécnicos com a profundidade ao final do enchimento é importante para avaliar o comportamento do reservatório na etapa de operação de alteamento, e para a estimativa do ganho de vida útil do reservatório. Os resultados permitiram avaliar o funcionamento da drenagem de fundo, a distribuição complexa dos excessos de poropressão ao final do enchimento, os perfis dos índices físicos com a profundidade e o ganho de vida útil. As análises mostraram que o programa foi capaz de reproduzir os processos simultâneos de sedimentação e adensamento por peso próprio, em análises de enchimento de reservatórios de resíduos.

Quantificação de macronutrientes no solo e em folhas de cana-de-açúcar em função de doses de resíduo da mineração de bauxita

The experiment was carried out in green house with the objective of evaluating the effect of the bauxite mining residue in the rates of macronutrients in sugarcane and soil. Containers of 10 L were used. They received the following rates of bauxite residue: 0; 28; 56; 84; 112 and 140 t ha(-1). The used culture was the sugarcane (SP92 4221). The incorporation of the bauxite residue in the soil provided an increase in the levels of the soil macronutrients, and only for sulphur levels above 83 t ha(-1), it was possible to provide reductions of this nutrient. For rates of determined macronutrients in the leaf, levels above 70, 5; 125; 101; 56 t ha (-1) diminished the rates of nitrogen, phosphorum, potassium and sulphur, respectively. However, for calcium and magnesium the use of the residue provided the reduction of leaf rates. The level of the bauxite residue which had the largest production of dry mass was 64 t ha(-1).

Absorção do dióxido de carbono por resíduo de bauxita em torres de absorção

Um dos problemas ambientais mais discutidos atualmente no cenário mundial são o aquecimento global e suas implicações. Apesar de o efeito estufa ser um fenômeno natural, o aumento nas emissões de gases como o CO₂ proveniente do processo de combustão, pode favorecer o seu agravamento. Seguindo essa vertente, existe o interesse na realização de pesquisas para minimizar a liberação deste gás na atmosfera. Este trabalho, tem por finalidade estudar o processo de absorção do dióxido de carbono pela fase aquosa do resíduo de bauxita (soda e íons dissolvidos em solução) em torre de aspersão e em torre de selas randômicas (ambas em escala piloto), bem como verificar a alteração do pH nesse processo de absorção para ambas as torres. Avaliar a alteração do pH e a capacidade de absorção do CO₂ , considerando as seguintes variáveis: O tipo de torre de absorção, o uso do sobrenadante como meio absorvente e o uso da suspensão aquecida por resistências. Os resultados mostraram que a suspensão do resíduo de bauxita absorveu quantidade significativa de CO₂ , tanto na torre de aspersão quanto na torre de selas. A taxa de absorção média ficou em torno de 8,42% para a torre de aspersão e 9,34% para a torre de selas. A capacidade de carbonatação da suspensão à 27%-p ficou em torno de 33,3 Kg CO₂ por tonelada de resíduo e houve uma redução substancial da alcalinidade do resíduo através da reação com os efluentes gasosos, com uma diminuição média de 4,0 e 3,5 unidades de pH para a torre de selas e de aspersão respectivamente.

Efeito da calcinação do resíduo de bauxita nas características reológicas e no estado endurecido de suspensões com cimento Portland

Este estudo ilustra o impacto da calcinação de resíduo de bauxita (RB) nas propriedades de suspensões formuladas com cimento Portland, tanto no estado fresco como no endurecido. As suspensões foram avaliadas contendo uma razão constante de água-cimento e teor de resíduo variando de 5% a 20% em peso e em substituição ao cimento. As propriedades reológicas e a resistência mecânica foram alteradas em função do aumento do teor de RB, mas a calcinação não teve influência no resultado final obtido, seja no estado fresco ou no endurecido. Assim, pode-se afirmar que a utilização de resíduo de bauxita, natural ou calcinada, em formulações com cimento Portland pode reduzir o consumo de cimento, sendo uma alternativa para a utilização de uma grande quantidade deste tipo de resíduo.

Adsorption of reactive dye on seawater-neutralised bauxite refinery residue

This investigation has demonstrated the need for thermal treatment of seawater neutralised red mud (SWRM) in order to obtain reasonable adsorption of Reactive Blue dye 19 (RB 19). Thermal treatment results in a greater surface area, which results in an increased adsorption capacity due to more available adsorption sites. Adsorption of RB 19 has been found to be best achieved in acidic conditions using SWNRM400 (heated to 400 �C) with an adsorption capacity of 416.7 mg/g compared to 250.0 mg/g for untreated SWNRM. Kinetic studies indicate a pseudosecond-order reaction mechanism is responsible for the adsorption of RB 19 using SWNRM, which indicates adsorption occurs by electrostatic interactions.

Effects of seawater-neutralised bauxite refinery residue on properties of concrete

Various industrial by-products, such as fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag and silica fume, have been used in concrete to improve its properties. This also enables any environmental issues associated with their disposal. Another material that is available in large quantities and requiring alternative methods of disposal is the Bauxite Refinery Reside (BRR) from the Bayer process used to extract alumina from bauxite. As this is highly caustic and causes many health hazards, Virotec International Ltd. developed a patented technology to convert this into a material that can be used commercially, known as Bauxsol™, for various environmental remediation applications. This use is limited to small quantities of seawater-neutralised BRR and hence an investigation was carried out to establish its potential utilisation as a sand replacement material in concrete. In addition to fresh properties of concrete containing seawater-neutralised BRR up to 20% by mass of Portland cement, mechanical and durability properties were determined. These properties indicated that seawater-neutralised BRR can be used to replace natural sand up to 10% by mass of cement to improve the durability properties of concrete without detrimentally affecting their physical properties. Combining these beneficial effects with environmental remediation applications, it can be concluded that there are specific applications where concretes containing seawater-neutralised BRR could be used.

Adsorption of reactive dye on seawater-neutralised bauxite refinery residue

This investigation has demonstrated the need for thermal treatment of seawater neutralised red mud (SWRM) in order to obtain reasonable adsorption of Reactive Blue dye 19 (RB 19). Thermal treatment results in a greater surface area, which results in an increased adsorption capacity due to more available adsorption sites. Adsorption of RB 19 has been found to be best achieved in acidic conditions using SWNRM400 (heated to 400 °C) with an adsorption capacity of 416.7. mg/g compared to 250.0. mg/g for untreated SWNRM. Kinetic studies indicate a pseudosecond-order reaction mechanism is responsible for the adsorption of RB 19 using SWNRM, which indicates adsorption occurs by electrostatic interactions. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Preventing industrial scale using bauxite refinery residues

An Australian green power (AGP) company produces energy from burning biomass from the sugar industry and recycled wood waste, however alkali in biomass is released into a recirculating stream that forms a scale as it becomes more concentrated. This investigation has shown that the addition of Bayer liquor (alumina waste residue) successfully removes scale-forming species from the recirculating stream and thus has the potential to reduce the rate of scaling. Characterisation of the scale and Bayer precipitates has been performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES).

Selective biodissolution of calcium and iron from bauxite in the presence of Bacillus polymyxa

A bacterium Bacillus polymyxa was found to be capable of selective removal of calcium and iron from bauxite. The bioleached residue was found to be enriched in its alumina content with insignificant amounts of iron and calcium as impurities. The developed bio- process was found to be capable of producing a bauxite product which meets the specifica- tions as a raw material for the manufacture of alumina based ceramics and refractories. The role of bacterial cells and metabolic products in the selective dissolution of calcium (present as calcite) and iron (present as hematite and goethite) from bauxite was assessed and possi- ble mechanisms illustrated. The effect of different parameters such as sucrose concentra- tion, pH, pulp density and time on selective biodissolution was studied. It was observed that periodic decantation and replenishment of the leach medium was beneficial in improving the dissolution kinetics. Calcium removal involves chelation with bacterial exopolysaccha- tides and acidolysis by organic acid generation. Hematite could be solubilized through a reductive dissolution mechanism.

Synthesis of a heparan sulfate mimetic disaccharide with a conformationally locked residue from a common intermediate

A simple mimetic of a heparan sulfate disaccharide sequence that binds to the growth factors FGF-1 and FGF-2 was synthesized by coupling a 2-azido-2-deoxy-D-glucosyl trichloroacetimidate donor with a 1,6-anhydro-2-azido-2-deoxy--D-glucose acceptor. Both the donor and acceptor were obtained from a common intermediate readily obtained from D-glucal. Molecular docking calculations showed that the predicted locations of the disaccharide sulfo groups in the binding site of FGF-1 and FGF-2 are similar to the positions observed for co-crystallized heparin-derived oligosaccharides obtained from published crystal structures.

The effect of high concentrations of calcium hydroxide in neutralised synthetic supernatant liquor : implications for alumina refinery residues

The presence of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) in Bayer residue slurry inhibits the effectiveness of the seawater neutralisation process to reduce the pH and aluminium concentration in the residue. An increase in the slurry pH (reversion), after seawater neutralisation, is caused by the dissolution of calcium hydroxide and hydrocalumite (solid components found in bauxite refinery residue). Reversion was not observed when the final solution pH was greater than 10.5, due to hydrocalumite being in a state of equilibrium at high pH. Hydrocalumite has been found to form during the neutralisation process when high concentrations of calcium hydroxide are present in the residue liquor. The dissolution of hydrocalumite releases hydroxyl (OH-) and aluminium ions back into solution after the seawater neutralisation (SWN) process, which causes pH and aluminium reversion to occur. This investigation looks at the effect of Ca(OH)2 and subsequently hydrocalumite on the pH and aluminium concentration in bauxite refinery residue liquors after the SWN process.