PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND TREATMENT POTENTIAL OF LATERITES NICKEL MINE WASTEWATER DISCHARGES IN SULAWESI, INDONESIA

• Main Author: Sasangka Jati, Wahyu
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknik saniter dan perkotaan; teknik perlindungan lingkungan
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/86234
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Nickel extraction, primarily through open-pit mining techniques, results in mine water containing minerals from ore processing residues and laterite leaching due to rainfall. The characteristics of this mine water pose challenges, especially in regions with high surface runoff and laterite leaching caused by heavy rainfall in Indonesia. This study aims to determine the physicochemical characteristics of nickel mine water and identify effective treatment technologies. Ten samples were collected from various sources, showing pH ranging from 6.79 to 8.58, TSS from 525 to 7,615 mg/L, and TDS from 92 to 260 mg/L. Sedimentation test results indicated discrete particle removal percentages within one hour, ranging from 10% to 99%, with particle sizes between 1.66 nm and 7,532.65 nm. The five main metals detected in the mine water were Iron (145.7 to 5,869,599 ppb), Magnesium (19,067.78 to 774,059 ppb), Aluminum (0.0001 to 168,245 ppb), Nickel (0.0001 to 86,735.6 ppb), and Chromium (85.9 to 44,845.9 ppb). Additionally, there was a dominance of magnesium-calcium sulfate-type ions. This study serves as an initial characterization of nickel mine water, and further analysis is required to determine effective treatment methods.