skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Bactericidal control of acid problems in surface mines and coal refuse

Abstract

A bacterium, Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, accelerates acidification of pyritic material and significantly increases the eventual level of acid production by catalyzing pyrite oxidation in the zone of aeration. Bactericides can be effective in reducing acid formation if added to infiltrating precipitation. However, the bactericidal treatment must be repeated frequently to prevent repopulation. To accomplish this at low cost, we have developed a controlled release technique involving diffusion and dissolution of anionic detergents from pellets of an elastomeric matrix. Release is expected to continue for approximately five years after application of the pellet. The technique has been tested in the laboratory, on small coal refuse piles in central Pennsylvania and on hydrologically isolated sections of an abandoned surface mine in northern West Virginia. Detergent concentrations of approximately 25 ppm in the pyritic material delayed or prevented acidification of coal refuse and reduced acidity of drainage from acid-producing material by 50-95%. The U.S. Bureau of Mines is presently initiating larger-scale field tests of the technique to evaluate such potential problems as adsorption of the detergent to the clay particles and detergent contamination downstream.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA
OSTI Identifier:
5340499
Report Number(s):
CONF-801263-
Journal ID: CODEN: UKOBD
Resource Type:
Conference
Journal Name:
Univ. Ky., Off. Eng. Serv., (Bull.); (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Conference: Symposium on surface mining hydrology, sedimentology and reclamation, Lexington, KY, USA, 1 Dec 1980
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; MINERAL WASTES; ACID MINE DRAINAGE; WATER POLLUTION CONTROL; SURFACE MINING; BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS; COAL MINING; DETERGENTS; ECONOMIC ANALYSIS; FEASIBILITY STUDIES; GERMICIDES; PENNSYLVANIA; PYRITE; THIOBACILLUS FERROXIDANS; US BUREAU OF MINES; ADDITIVES; BACILLUS; BACTERIA; CHALCOGENIDES; CONTROL; ECONOMICS; EMULSIFIERS; FEDERAL REGION III; IRON COMPOUNDS; IRON SULFIDES; MICROORGANISMS; MINERALS; MINING; NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; NORTH AMERICA; POLLUTION CONTROL; SOLID WASTES; SULFIDE MINERALS; SULFIDES; SULFUR COMPOUNDS; SULFUR-OXIDIZING BACTERIA; SURFACTANTS; TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS; US DOI; US ORGANIZATIONS; USA; WASTES; WETTING AGENTS; 010800* - Coal, Lignite, & Peat- Waste Management; 520200 - Environment, Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)

Citation Formats

Kleinmann, R L.P. Bactericidal control of acid problems in surface mines and coal refuse. United States: N. p., 1980. Web.
Kleinmann, R L.P. Bactericidal control of acid problems in surface mines and coal refuse. United States.
Kleinmann, R L.P. 1980. "Bactericidal control of acid problems in surface mines and coal refuse". United States.
@article{osti_5340499,
title = {Bactericidal control of acid problems in surface mines and coal refuse},
author = {Kleinmann, R L.P.},
abstractNote = {A bacterium, Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, accelerates acidification of pyritic material and significantly increases the eventual level of acid production by catalyzing pyrite oxidation in the zone of aeration. Bactericides can be effective in reducing acid formation if added to infiltrating precipitation. However, the bactericidal treatment must be repeated frequently to prevent repopulation. To accomplish this at low cost, we have developed a controlled release technique involving diffusion and dissolution of anionic detergents from pellets of an elastomeric matrix. Release is expected to continue for approximately five years after application of the pellet. The technique has been tested in the laboratory, on small coal refuse piles in central Pennsylvania and on hydrologically isolated sections of an abandoned surface mine in northern West Virginia. Detergent concentrations of approximately 25 ppm in the pyritic material delayed or prevented acidification of coal refuse and reduced acidity of drainage from acid-producing material by 50-95%. The U.S. Bureau of Mines is presently initiating larger-scale field tests of the technique to evaluate such potential problems as adsorption of the detergent to the clay particles and detergent contamination downstream.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5340499}, journal = {Univ. Ky., Off. Eng. Serv., (Bull.); (United States)},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1980},
month = {Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1980}
}

Conference:
Other availability
Please see Document Availability for additional information on obtaining the full-text document. Library patrons may search WorldCat to identify libraries that hold this conference proceeding.

Save / Share: