Bactericidal control of acid problems in surface mines and coal refuse
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.
- Research Organization:
- Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA
- OSTI ID:
- 5340499
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-801263-
- Journal Information:
- Univ. Ky., Off. Eng. Serv., (Bull.); (United States), Conference: Symposium on surface mining hydrology, sedimentology and reclamation, Lexington, KY, USA, 1 Dec 1980
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
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)