Sulfate and metal removal in bioreactors treating acid mine drainage dominated with iron and aluminum

McCauley, Craig A.; O’Sullivan, Aisling D.; Milke, Mark W.; Weber, P.A.; Trumm, D.

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2008.11.029

Cited by 96 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…productivity is reported to be roughly halved in wetlands receiving mine drainage (Mitsch & Jorgensen, 2004). Neculita et al (2007) note optimal VFB field conditions at 0.3 mol SO 4 /m 3 -d and this comports well with data from Dvorak et al (1992) and McCauley et al (2009). In sulfate reduction, for each mole of SO 4 2-reduced, two moles of C are required (Neculita et al, 2007).…”

Section: Monthly Sampling Resultssupporting

confidence: 73%

Effects on the Underlying Water Column by Ecologically Engineered Floating Vegetation Mats

Strosnider¹,

Nairn²

2010

JASMR

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Abstract. Engineered floating vegetation mats are emerging applications of ecological engineering that have promising water quality improvement and habitat creation applications. However, relatively little research has been published regarding their construction or effects on the underlying water column. The objectives of this study were to determine appropriate design characteristics and the effect of ecologically engineered floating vegetation mats (EFVM) on the underlying water column. Four EFVM designs were constructed of drainpipe, burlap, mulch, utility netting, and reused polyethylene bottles, and then planted with Typha spp. and Juncus effusus. The water column beneath EFVM in two test ponds was compared to that in an open water control pond. Dissolved oxygen concentrations and pH were lower, diurnal temperature range was dampened, and sulfate/nitrate reduction was greater under the EFVM with respect to the control. Alkalinity was also greater under EFVM. Results reinforced previous findings indicating that Typha spp. is a suitable species for EFVM creation. However, a more robust planting matrix is necessary to encourage faster growth and protect against wind and wave action damage. Although plant propagation was limited, results suggest that EFVM may be applied to encourage reducing, thermally insulated conditions for passive treatment of acid mine drainage a wide range of other pollutants. Specifically, they may be employed to improve short and longterm performance of vertical flow bioreactors for acid mine drainage treatment by lowering dissolved oxygen concentrations in the water column and providing a continual source of organic carbon to the underlying substrate.Additional Key Words: acid reduction using microbiology, acid mine drainage, vertical flow bioreactor

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Section: Monthly Sampling Resultssupporting

confidence: 73%

Effects on the Underlying Water Column by Ecologically Engineered Floating Vegetation Mats

Strosnider¹,

Nairn²

2010

JASMR

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“…Influent and effluent sampling was typically conducted on a weekly or biweekly basis and prior to increasing AMD flow rate. Further details about the experimental set-up and treatment efficiencies of these mesocosm-scale systems, which were operated for nearly four months, has been previously reported (McCauley et al 2008(McCauley et al , 2009.…”

Section: Water Quality Guidelines and Ecotoxicologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mesocosm biogeochemical reactor treatability tests Biogeochemical reactors containing 20Á30 vol% mussel shells (P1, S2 and S3) showed the best metal removal for each respective reactor shape (McCauley et al 2008(McCauley et al , 2009. Metal removal was also good for P3 (containing NSD), but its effluent pH was 9.0Á10.5, and therefore considered too caustic for discharge to a freshwater ecosystem so its operation was terminated before the other BGCRs.…”

Section: Variability Of Stockton Coal Mine Drainage Chemistry 219mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There was an average release of 20.8% Mn from the BGCRs indicative of Mn dissolution from substrate materials (McCauley et al 2009). Since manganese sulphide (MnS) is highly soluble and not expected to form under reduced conditions (Gusek 2002;Watzlaf et al 2004), it was not expected to be removed in these BGCRs.…”

Section: Variability Of Stockton Coal Mine Drainage Chemistry 219mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variability of Stockton Coal Mine drainage chemistry and its treatment potential with biogeochemical reactors

McCauley¹,

O’Sullivan²,

Weber³

et al. 2010

New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics

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Thirteen acid mine drainage seeps emanating from waste rock dumps and associated sediment ponds were monitored at Stockton Coal Mine near Westport, New Zealand to identify and quantify metal loads and delineate their spatial and temporal variability. Dissolved metal concentrations ranged from 0.05Á1430 mg/L Fe, 0.200Á627 mg/L Al, 0.0024Á0.594 mg/L Cu, 0.0052Á4.21 mg/L Ni, 0.019Á18.8 mg/L Zn, B0.00005Á0.0232 mg/L Cd, 0.0007Á0.0028 mg/L Pb, B0.001Á0.154 mg/L As and 0.103Á29.3 mg/L Mn and the pH ranged from 2.04Á4.31. Currently this acid mine drainage is treated further downstream by a number of water treatment plants employing a combination of ultra fine limestone and Ca(OH) 2 . However, in the interest of assessing more cost-effective technologies, biogeochemical reactors were assessed in the laboratory as potential cost-effective passive treatment options. Results of mesocosm-scale treatability tests showed that biogeochemical reactors incorporating mussel shells, pine bark, wood fragments (post peel) and compost increased pH to 6.7 and sequestered ]98.2% of the metal load from the Manchester Seep located within the Mangatini Catchment. Laboratory results demonstrated that the maximum loading rate was 0.8 mol total metals/m 3 substrate, and an average of 20.0 kg/day (7.30 tonnes/year) of metals could be removed by appropriately sized biogeochemical reactors.

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“…In order to accelerate the bacterial activity of the cell, materials such as compost (McCauley et al, 2009) or creek sediment (Zagury et al, 2006) are added to the system to increase the population of bacteria capable of sulfate reduction.…”

Section: Sulfate-reducing Bioreactorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Two Field-Scale Sulfate Reducing Bioreactors Using Sulfur Isotopes

Reeder¹,

Branam²,

Olyphant³

2010

JASMR

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Sulfate-reducing bioreactors (SRBRs) have shown promise as a costeffective option in the passive remediation of acid mine drainage (AMD). While these systems do provide the necessary conditions for increased bacterial activity, little is known about the internal dynamics and the functional lifespan of the systems in field settings. To help address these issues, two field-scale bioreactors are being monitored using an array of sampling ports distributed at varying depths throughout the treatment cells. These internal monitoring ports are located in such a way as to observe 3-D trends in activity occurring within the system. Water samples collected from the ports, as well as samples from the AMD inflow and outflow, have been analyzed for δ 34 S of sulfate as well as standard chemical parameters. Preliminary results indicate that in both systems, bacterial sulfate reduction is occurring yet the degree of reduction is not uniform throughout the cells. Within each system, areas where only a limited amount of bacterial sulfate reduction has occurred are characterized by high concentrations of sulfate coupled with δ 34 S values only slightly different than the influent AMD. In contrast, low sulfate concentrations together with large δ 34 S fractionations are found in areas where extensive bacterial sulfate reduction has taken place. The observed range in fractionation values likely reflects the development of preferential flow paths and points of stagnation within the systems. This implies that not all of the reactive substrate put into a cell will contribute to AMD treatment. The results of this study provide information not typically attainable in smaller laboratory-scale studies and point to the need for further engineering of SRBRs to optimize fieldscale applications.

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Sulfate and metal removal in bioreactors treating acid mine drainage dominated with iron and aluminum

Cited by 96 publications

References 30 publications

Effects on the Underlying Water Column by Ecologically Engineered Floating Vegetation Mats

Effects on the Underlying Water Column by Ecologically Engineered Floating Vegetation Mats

Variability of Stockton Coal Mine drainage chemistry and its treatment potential with biogeochemical reactors

Assessment of Two Field-Scale Sulfate Reducing Bioreactors Using Sulfur Isotopes

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