Vol. 337 No. 3 (2026)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2026/3/5200
Boron acid recovery from the separate of geothermal heat carrier of the Pauzhetskaya GeoPP
Geothermal energy is one of the modern renewable sources of electrical energy. Geothermal heat carriers are considered not only as sources of electrical and thermal energy, but also as sources of chemical compounds. In developing and operating geothermal power plants, great attention should be paid to the ecology of the surrounding areas. The exploitation of geothermal plants results in the formation of wastewater, which is fully or partially discharged into the territories adjacent to the geothermal field, as well as into water bodies. In particular, such contaminants are boron compounds, the concentration of which in geothermal waters has a wide range from less than 10 to more than 500 mg/l in terms of boric acid. Relevance. The recovery of chemical compounds from geothermal heat carriers along with the generation of electricity allows for the complex utilisation of mineral natural resources. Aim. To review the methods of recovery of boron compounds from hydro-mineral raw materials in recent years and to update the data on the composition of the Pauzhetskaya GeoPP geothermal heat carrier separate. Results and conclusions. In the process of discharging the Pauzhetskaya GeoPP geothermal heat carrier separate, the Bystry brook and the Pauzhetka river are exposed to boron compounds pollution. The Pauzhetskaya GeoPP separate contains up to 200 mg/l of boric acid. In order to prevent technogenic impact on water bodies of fishery importance, it is necessary to process the separate in order to adjust the content of regulated components to the level of maximum allowable concentrations. The most widespread methods of boron-containing solutions processing are electrochemical and sorption methods using ion-exchange resins, membranes and boron-selective sorbents. The most common inorganic sorbents are natural and modified zeolite of the Yagodninskoe deposit of the Kamchatka region, cryo-granulated zirconium hydroxide and modified pumice.
For citation: Avfukova L.S., Belova T.P. Boron acid recovery from the separate of geothermal heat carrier of the Pauzhetskaya GeoPP. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Assest Engineering, 2026, vol. 337, no. 3, pp. 74–84. https://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2026/3/5200
Keywords:
geothermal field, geothermal heat carriers, sorption, sorption capacity, ion-exchange resins, boron, boric acid
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