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Final report on the toxicological testing of groundwaters affected by underground coal gasification

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6259749

The effectiveness of several wastewater treatment processes for removing toxic constituents from UCG-affected groundwater was evaluated using the MICROTOX assay and the Ceriodaphnia affinis/dubia acute toxicity test. The treatment processes evaluated were reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, and activated carbon adsorption combined with microporous filtration. Two UCG-affected groundwaters were used during this study. The first, Hanna groundwater, was collected five years after completion of a UCG operation at Hanna, Wyoming, and contained elevated concentrations of inorganic contaminants. The second, a simulated UCG-affected groundwater, was synthesized from Hanna groundwater and a UCG condensate water. It contained elevated concentrations of both inorganic and organic contaminants. The untreated Hanna groundwater was not acutely toxic to either of the test organisms used in this study, though Hanna groundwater treated by reverse osmosis was toxic to both. The toxicity of the treated water was attributed to copper and zinc contamination that occurred during the treatment process. The simulated UCG-affected groundwater was toxic to both test organisms. Phenolic compounds were primarily responsible for the toxicity to the MICROTOX organism; un-ionized ammonia was primarily responsible for the toxicity to Ceriodaphnia. Carbon adsorption combined with microporous filtration was more effective than ultrafiltration for removing organic carbon from the simulated UCG-affected groundwater; however, neither of these treatment processes removed ammonia. Thus, carbon adsorption combined with microporous filtration was more effective than ultrafiltration for reducing the toxicity of the simulated UCG-affected groundwater to the MICROTOX organism, but neither treatment was effective for reducing toxicity to Ceriodaphnia. 17 refs., 1 fig., 10 tabs.

Research Organization:
Western Research Inst., Laramie, WY (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
FC21-83FE60177
OSTI ID:
6259749
Report Number(s):
DOE/FE/60177-2428; ON: DE88000288
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English