Evaluation for the Leaching of Cr from Coal Gangue Using Expansive Soils

Coal gangue can cause significant heavy metal pollution in mining areas, which would have a negative impact on the environment and human health. The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between expansive soil amount and the leaching behavior of Chromium from coal gangue and the engineering properties of coal gangue used as building materials. The leaching behavior of Chromium from coal gangue was observed using atomic absorption spectrometry. A column leaching experiment was conducted to examine the impact of leaching time and heavy metal concentration. Furthermore, the unconfined compressive strength test was employed to evaluate the engineering properties of coal gangue with expansive soil. The results of the study demonstrate that pH of leachate solutions, leaching time, and expansive soil amounts in mixtures have important influence on Chromium concentration. The leachate solutions, which behave like alkaline, provide a positive environment for adsorbing Cr. Adding expansive soil can reduce leached concentrations of Chromium from coal gangue when compared to leachate of original coal gangue. It was found that 30% expansive soil was an improved solution because it delayed the cumulative concentration to reach the limitation line. Moreover, the unconfined compressive strength of coal gangue was boosted through adding expansive soil.