Mining, mineral processing and metallurgical extraction are the three principal activities of gold mining industries which produce mining wastewater. Large quantity of wastewater is produced during these activities which is release to the environment. Heavy metal pollution like Zn, Ni, Pb, AS, Cu, Cd, Co, Hg and acid mine drainage is a very important environmental concern due to waste materials containing metal rich sulfides from mining activity. These characteristics of gold mining wastewater result in complex stresses for the biological treatment and leads to selection of different treatment technology like physical removal of heavy metals by activated carbon. This study aims to investigate the Rice Husk potential for selected heavy metals removal. The sorption study will be conducted in batch and column reactors. Various parameters like column height, flow rate, adsorbent doze, temperature, time, pH and particle size will be optimized for maximum heavy metals removal. The adsorbent surface characterization will be done by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The data will be analyzed using isotherms and kinetic models.

Gold Mine wastewater possesses heterogeneous heavy metals contaminants. Application of adsorption technology has not yet been used for heavy metals in mult-solutes removing using rice husk in natural form and as precursor for functionalized activated carbon in batch and fixed bed column reactors simultaneously.

Objective

To screen the potential of rice husk for treatment of heavy metals from aqueous solution.

To convert the adsorbent into activated carbon form with required sequestration properties for efficient metal removal in batch and column reactors.

To study adsorption mechanism for rice husk and its activated carbon using various isotherms, thermodynamics and kinetic models.