Remediation of acid mine drainage within strip mine spoil by sulfate reduction using waste organic matter
- Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
Many treatment options for AMD, like wetlands and anoxic limestone drains, are limited by acidity, metal loadings, flow rate or areal requirements so as to be inapplicable at many sites. In-situ bacterial sulfate reduction is proposed as a solution for certain settings. Requirements for successful in-situ bacterial sulfate reduction include dissolved sulfate, an organic substrate, permanent anaerobic conditions, a mixed culture of bacteria, appropriate nutrients, and a sufficient AMD contact time. These requirements can be provided within mine spoil by injection of waste organic matter into an extensive zone of saturated spoil. Laboratory experiments on cheese whey, lactate, non-degraded sawdust, partially degraded sawdust, pulped newspaper and mushroom compost have all yielded sulfate reduction, increased alkalinity and iron sulfide precipitate in AMD with pH < 4.0. The addition of a small amount of dolomite to the organic matter creates alkaline microenvironments that facilitate the initiation of sulfate reduction. The rates of sulfate reduction using cellulose materials are slow but the rate for milk products is much more rapid. A field test utilizing partially degraded sawdust is underway. A total of 11.3 tons of sawdust mixed with 5% dolomite, 5% sewage sludge and a mixed bacterial culture was successfully injected into 4 drill holes in mine spoil as 13% w/v suspension, The spoil had enough coarse porosity for injection into the saturated subsurface at about 300 L/min, Data on in-situ SO{sub 4} reduction rates and water quality are being collected in preparation for a full remediation program at the site, which has an extensive zone of saturated spoil 10-20 m thick.
- OSTI ID:
- 588795
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9605286-; TRN: 98:001296-0026
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 13. annual meeting of the American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation (ASSMR), Knoxville, TN (United States), 18-23 May 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Successes and failures: Applying research results to insure reclamation success; Daniels, W.L.; Burger, J.A.; Zipper, C.E. [Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (United States). Depts. of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences and Forestry] [eds.]; PB: 889 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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