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Kuyucak, N. (1998). Mining, the Environment and the Treatment of Mine Effluents. Int. J. Environ. Pollut., 10(2), 315–325.
Abstract: The environmental impact of mining on the ecosystem, including land, water and air, has become an unavoidable reality. Guidelines and regulations have been promulgated to protect the environment throughout mining activities from start-up to site decommissioning. In particular, the occurrence of acid mine drainage (AMD), due to oxidation of sulfide mineral wastes, has become the major area of concern to many mining industries during operations and after site decommissioning. AMD is characterized by high acidity and a high concentration of sulfates and dissolved metals. If it cannot be prevented or controlled, it must be treated to eliminate acidity, and reduce heavy metals and suspended solids before release to the environment. This paper discusses conventional and new methods used for the treatment of mine effluents, in particular the treatment of AMD.
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Tsukamoto, T. K., & Miller, G. C. (1999). Methanol as a Carbon Source for Microbiological Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage. Water Res., 33(6), 1365–1370.
Abstract: Sulfate reducing passive bioreactors are increasingly being used to remove metals and raise the pH of acidic waste streams from abandoned mines. These systems commonly use a variety of organic substrates (i.e. manure, wood chips) for sulfate reduction. The effectiveness of these systems decreases as easily accessible reducing equivalents are consumed in the substrate through microbial activity. Using column studies at room temperature (23-26 degrees C), we investigated the addition of lactate and methanol to a depleted manure substrate as a method to reactivate a bioreactor that had lost >95% of sulfate reduction activity. A preliminary experiment compared sulfate removal in gravity fed, flow through bioreactors in which similar masses of each substrate were added to the influent solution. Addition of 148 mg/l lactate resulted in a 69% reduction in sulfate concentration from 300 to 92 mg/l, while addition of 144 mg/l methanol resulted in an 88% reduction in sulfate concentration from 300 to 36 mg/l. Because methanol was found to be an effective sulfate reducing substrate, it was chosen for further experiments due to its inherent physical properties (cost, low freezing point and low viscosity liquid) that make it a superior substrate for remote, high elevation sites where freezing temperatures would hamper the use of aqueous solutions. In these column studies, water containing sulfate and ferrous iron was gravity-fed through the bioreactor columns, along with predetermined methanol concentrations containing reducing equivalents to remove 54% of the sulfate. Following an acclimation period for the columns, sulfate concentrations were reduced from of 900 mg/l in the influent to 454 mg/l in the effluent, that reflects a 93% efficiency of electrons from the donor to the terminal electron acceptor. Iron concentrations were reduced from 100 to 2 mg/l and the pH increased nearly 2 units. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.
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Watzlaf, G. R., Schroeder, K. T., & Kairies, C. L. (2000). Proceedings, 17th Annual National Meeting – American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation. Tampa.
Abstract: Ten passive treatment systems, located in Pennsylvania and Maryland, have been intensively monitored for up to ten years. Influent and effluent water quality data from ten anoxic limestone drains (ALDs) and six reducing and alkalinity-producing systems (RAPS) have been analyzed to determine long-term performance for each of these specific unit operations. ALDs and RAPS are used principally to generate alkalinity, ALDs are buried beds of limestone that add alkalinity through dissolution of calcite. RAPS add alkalinity through both limestone dissolution and bacterial sulfate reduction. ALDs that received mine water containing less than 1 mg/L of both ferric iron and aluminum have continued to produce consistent concentrations of alkalinity since their construction. However, an ALD that received 20 mg/L of aluminum experienced a rapid reduction in permeability and failed within five months. Maximum levels of alkalinity (between 150 and 300 m&) appear to be reached after I5 hours of retention. All but one RAPS in this study have been constructed and put into operation only within the past 2.5 to 5 years. One system has been in operation and monitored for more than nine years. AIkalinity due to sulfate reduction was highest during the first two summers of operation. Alkalinity due to a limestone dissolution has been consistent throughout the life of the system. For the six RAPS in this study, sulfate reduction contributed an average of 28% of the total alkalinity. Rate of total alkalinity generation range from 15.6 gd''rn-'to 62.4 gd-'mL2 and were dependent on influent water quality and contact time.
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Jarvis, A. P., & Younger, P. L. (2001). Passive treatment of ferruginous mine waters using high surface area media. Water Res., 35(15), 3643–3648.
Abstract: Rapid oxidation and accretion of iron onto high surface area media has been investigated as a potential passive treatment option for ferruginous, net-alkaline minewaters. Two pilot-scale reactors were installed at a site in County Durham, UK. Each 2.0m high cylinder contained different high surface area plastic trickling filter media. Ferruginous minewater was fed downwards over the media at various flow-rates with the objective of establishing the efficiency of iron removal at different loading rates. Residence time of water within the reactors was between 70 and 360s depending on the flow-rate (1 and 12l/min, respectively). Average influent total iron concentration for the duration of these experiments was 1.43mg/l (range 1.08-1.84mg/l; n=16), whilst effluent iron concentrations averaged 0.41mg/l (range 0.20-1.04mg/l; n=15) for Reactor A and 0.38mg/l (range 0.11-0.93mg/l; n=16) for Reactor B. There is a strong correlation between influent iron load and iron removal rate. Even at the highest loading rates (approximately 31.6g/day) 43% and 49% of the total iron load was removed in Reactors A and B, respectively. At low manganese loading rates (approximately 0.50-0.90g/day) over 50% of the manganese was removed in Reactor B. Iron removal rate (g/m3/d) increases linearly with loading rate (g/day) up to 14g/d and the slope of the line indicates that a mean of 85% of the iron is removed. In conclusion, it appears that the oxidation and accretion of ochre on high surface area media may be a promising alternative passive technology to constructed wetlands at certain sites.
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Gerth, A., & Kießig, G. (2001). (A. Leeson, Ed.). Phytoremediation, wetlands and sediments. (6)5: Battelle Press.
Abstract: Treatment of radioactively-contaminated and metal-laden mine waters and of seepage fiom tailings ponds and waste rock piles is among the key issues facing WISMUT GmbH in their task to remediate the legacy of uranium mining and processing in the Free States of saxony and rhuringia, Federal Republic of Germany. Generally, contaminant loads of feed waters wn aimnisn over time. At a certain level of costs for the removal of one contaminant unit, continued operation of conventional water treatment plants can hardly be justified any longer. As treatment is still required for water protection, there is an urgent need for-the development and implementation of more cost efficient technologies. WISMUT GmbH and BioPlanta GmbH have studied the suitability of helophye species for contaminant removal from mine waters. In a fust step, original waters were used for an in vitro bioassay. The test results allowed for the determination of the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on helophy'tes'tolerancer ange, growth, and uptake capability of radionuclides and metals. Test series were carried out using Phiagmites australis, Carex disticha, Typha latifolia, and Juncus effusus. Relevant cont-aminant components of the mine waters under investigation included uraniunl iron, arsenic, manganese, nickel, and copper. Investigations led to a number of recommendations conceming plant selection for specific water treatment needs. In a second step, based on these results, a constructed wetland was built in l99g as a pilot plant for the treatment of flood waters liom the pöhla-Tellerhäuser mine and went on-line. Relevant constituents of the neutral flood waters include radium, iron, and arsenic. This wetland specifically uses both physico-chemical and microbiological processes as well as contaminant accumulation by helophytes to achieve the treatment objectives. with the pilot plant in operation for three years now, average removal rates achieved are 95 Yo for kon, 86 yo for arsenic, and 75 % for raäium. WISMUT GmbH intends to put a number of other projects of passive/biological mine water treatment into operation before the end of 2001_
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