title: Removal of sulphates acidity and iron from acid mine drainage in a bench scale biochemical treatment system.
abstract: The focus of this study was to develop a simple biochemical system to treat acid mine drainage for its safe disposal. Recovery and reuse of the metals removed were not considered. A three-step process for the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD), proposed earlier, separates sulphate reducing activity from metal precipitation units and from a pH control system. Following our earlier work on the first step (biological reactor), this paper examines the second step (i.e. chemical reactor). The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the increase in pH and the reduction of iron in the chemical reactor for different proportions of simulated AMD, and (2) to assess the capability of the chemical reactor. A series of experiments was conducted to study the effects of addition of alkaline sulphidogenic liquor (ASL) derived from a batch sulphidogenic biological reactor (operating with activated sludge and a COD/SO4 ratio of 1.6) on the simulated AMD characteristics. At 60-minute contact time, addition of 30% ASL (pH of 7.60-7.76) to the chemical reactor with 70% AMD (pH of 1.65-2.02), increased the pH of the AMD to 6.57 and alkalinity from 0 to 485 mg l(-1) as CaCO3, respectively and precipitated about 97% of the iron present in the simulated AMD. Others have demonstrated that metals in mine drainage can be precipitated by bacterial sulphate reduction. In this study, iron, a common and major component of mine drainage was used as a surrogate for metals in general. The results indicate the feasibility of treating AMD by an engineered sulphidogenic anaerobic reactor followed by a chemical reactor and that our three-step biochemical process has important advantages over other conventional AMD treatment systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Henry
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001671:Biochemistry / Q000379:methods; D019149:Bioreactors; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D008906:Mining; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry; D013431:Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism*; D013440:Sulfides / Q000378:metabolism; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D013431:Sulfates; D013440:Sulfides; D007501:Iron