Alternative Low-Cost Treatment for Real Acid Mine Drainage: Performance, Bioaccumulation, Translocation, Economic, Post-Harvest, and Bibliometric Analyses

Abstract

Environmental pollution due to industrial activities has been reported since 1760, dating back to the first industrial revolution. One industrial activity that has led to major environmental degradation is coal mining, which can pollute surface and underground water due to acid mine drainage (AMD). Phytoremediation is low-cost, applicable, environmental, and does not generate other waste materials. In this research, we analyze the utilization of Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes for AMD treatment. The results indicated that the AMD initially contained Fe, Mn, Al, Ca, and Mg. E. crassipes successfully reduced these contents by up to 69%, while P. stratiotes removed up to 62%. A cost analysis for phytoremediation of AMD is designed in terms of two schemes, with 4298 USD for the first scheme and no cost in the second scheme. The post-harvest potential, future research directions, and bibliometric analysis are also discussed. Overall, the results of this study indicate that P. stratiotes and E. crassipes are plants with great potential for AMD phytoremediation.

Highly Efficient Modified Constructed Wetlands Using Waste Materials for Natural Acid Mine Drainage Treatment

“…This study firmly establishes the success and substantial potential of its application in real-world scenarios, owing to the absence of energy requirements during the degradation processes. This distinction becomes apparent when contrasting the method with adsorption methods that necessitate agitation for extended periods, often up to 300 min, or phytoremediation strategies demanding over seven days to achieve a significant reduction in heavy metals from AMD [33], as well as other common domestic pollutants.…”

“…These applications extend into diverse domains, reflecting the wide-ranging benefits that can be harnessed from the plant post-remediation. Among these, the post-harvest potential of Eichhornia crassipes includes: use of the plant's antibacterial properties; handicraft production; organic fertilizer generation; paper production; liquid fertilizer extraction; and contributions to the pharmaceutical industry [33].…”

Emerging Strategies for Mitigating Acid Mine Drainage Formation and Environmental Impacts: A Comprehensive Review of Recent Advances

“…Many researchers have proposed several technologies categorized into active and passive treatment techniques (Bai et al, 2021;Vasquez et al, 2022). Examples of passive techniques are bioremediation, constructed wetlands, phytoremediation (Wibowo et al, 2023a;Wibowo et al, 2022b) and bioreactors (Ka-ot and Joshi, 2022;Thomas et al, 2022;Wang et al, 2021a), while the active techniques include neutralization, precipitation, adsorption, electrochemical treatment, and membrane technology (Angai et al, 2022;Bao et al, 2022;Lee et al, 2022b). Both techniques have advantages and disadvantages (Ighalo et al, 2022) .…”