A novel approach for treating acid mine drainage through forming schwertmannite driven by a mixed culture of Acidiphilium multivorum and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans prior to lime neutralization

Effects of long-term discharge of acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines on soil microorganisms: microbial community structure, interaction patterns, and metabolic functions

“…AMD is typically characterized by low pH (usually < 3.0) and high levels of iron, sulfate and other toxic heavy metals (Akcil and Koldas 2005). Therefore, if not treated properly, AMD can contaminate soil, groundwater and surface water, etc., posing a major threat to humans and the environment (Jin et al 2020;Rambabu et al 2020). Due to the lack of effective management measures, AMD from abandoned coal mines was usually discharged directly into the environment without any treatment, posing a higher ecological risk compared to producing mines.…”

“…This can be attributed to a survival strategy of bacteria in a strongly acidic and oligonitrogenous environment, which provides carbon and nitrogen sources for cell survival through autotrophic carbon xation and carbon sequestration(Sun et al 2020b). OTU835 and OTU322 were identi ed to be similar to Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, an acidophilic chemolithoautotrophic bacterium that can grow by oxidizing Fe(II) and reducing sulfur compounds(Jin et al 2020). Phylogenetic evolutionary tree analysis revealed that ve OTUs, OTU479, OTU342, OTU542, OTU475 and OTU829, are more similar to Gallionella sp.. and Sideroxydans lithotrophicus, both of which are Fe-oxidizing bacteria(Kipry et al 2013;Anke et al 2019).…”

Acidophilic heterotrophs: basic aspects and technological applications

“…In this regard, a mixed culture of Acidiphilium multivorum and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans has been used in a biomineralization process where iron and sulfate are removed from acid mine drainage as schwertmannite to decrease the subsequent lime consumption and sludge generation (Jin et al, 2020). Similarly, a mixed culture of Alicyclobacillus tolerans and Acidiphilium cryptum was able to produce crystalline schwertmannite precipitates with the potential to remove arsenic from acidic effluents (Nural Yaman et al, 2023).…”

Analysis of the development and effects of a combined treatment system for acid mine drainage via bio-oxidation and carbonate rock neutralization

“…18,19 Several studies have advocated biological oxidation as a precursor to chemical neutralization, employing iron-oxidizing bacteria to completely oxidize Fe 2+ to Fe 3+ , followed by chemical neutralization to eliminate Fe 3+ . 20 Hou et al discovered that Fe 2+ could be completely oxidized into Fe 3+ , with a total iron (TFe) removal rate of 41.80% during biomineralization. 21 Wang et al proposed a bacteria-driven cyclic mineralization approach to increase Fe 2+ oxidation and Fe 3+ reduction, but the total iron removal rate remained low (32.00%).…”