Comparative effectiveness of mixed organic substrates to mushroom compost for treatment of mine drainage in passive bioreactors.
Bioreactors are one possible best sustainable technology to address the mine-impacted water problems. Several prospective substrates (mushroom compost, cow manure, sawdust, wood chips, and cut rice straw) were characterized for their ability to serve as a source of food and energy for sulfate-reducing bacteria. Twenty bench-scale batch bioreactors were then designed and set up to investigate relative effectiveness of various mixtures of substrates to that of mushroom compost, the most commonly used substrate in field bioreactors, for treating mine drainage with acidic (pH 3) and moderate pH (pH 6). Overall, reactive mixtures showed satisfactory performances in generating alkalinity, reducing sulfate and removing metals (Al>Fe>Mn) (up to 100%) at both pH conditions, for all substrates. The mixture of sawdust and cow manure was found as the most effective whereas the mixture containing 40% cut rice straw gave limited efficiency, suggesting organic carbon released from this substrate is not readily available for biodegradation under anaerobic conditions. The mushroom compost-based bioreactors released significant amount of sulfate, which may raise a more concern upon the start-up of field-scale bioreactors. The correlation between the extent of sulfate reduction and dissolved organic carbon/SO(4)(2-) ratio was weak and this indicates that the type of dissolved organic carbon plays a more important role in sulfate reduction than the absolute concentration and that the ratio is not sensitive enough to properly describe the relative effectiveness of substrate mixtures.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 335 Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701, South Korea.
Carmen Mihaela
CM
Neculita
Gil-Jae
GJ
Yim
Gooyong
G
Lee
Sang-Woo
SW
Ji
Jin Woong
JW
Jung
Hyun-Sung
HS
Park
Hocheol
H
Song
D000363:Agaricales / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008372:Manure; D008906:Mining; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D013431:Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014934:Wood / Q000737:chemistry
D008372:Manure; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D013431:Sulfates; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical