Acidic mine water remediation

A process for treating acidic mine drainage water or a stream contaminated with acidic mine drainage water to remove heavy metal ions therefrom, comprising the steps of:

• providing a direct process residue gel by reacting silicon metal with methyl chloride in the presence of a catalyst to produce methylchlorosilanes and direct process residues including methylchlorodisilanes, simethylenes, and polysilanes, separating the methylchlorosilanes from the direct process residue, and hydrolyzing the direct process residues to produce the direct process residue gel;
• and
• contacting the acidic mine drainage water or the stream contaminated with acidic mine drainage water with the direct process residue gel to remove heavy metals therefrom.