Bioremediation of an industrial acid mine water by metal-tolerant sulphate-reducing bacteria

Citation
C. Garcia et al., Bioremediation of an industrial acid mine water by metal-tolerant sulphate-reducing bacteria, MINER ENG, 14(9), 2001, pp. 997-1008
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Geological Petroleum & Minig Engineering
Journal title
MINERALS ENGINEERING
ISSN journal
08926875 → ACNP
Volume
14
Issue
9
Year of publication
2001
Pages
997 - 1008
Database
ISI
SICI code
0892-6875(200109)14:9<997:BOAIAM>2.0.ZU;2-U
Abstract
The microbiological diversity associated with mining environments is a very well proven fact. One of the communities appearing in these environments i s that formed by anaerobic sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) which can be us ed for the decontamination of acid mine drainage waters. In this work, the potential of a mixed population of SRB, isolated from the bottom of a pyrit ic tailing pond situated in the Spanish pyritic Belt, has been investigated with the main objective of treating the effluent generated in the same dis posal site. The efficiency of the system is based on the presence of an imp ortant amount of reducing agents contained in the acid mine drainage receiv ed in the pond Results showed that this option is effective for the precipi tation of the dissolved metals (copper and iron), for the reduction and rem oval of sulphates and even for the alkalising of the waters. SRB were able to remove up to 9,000 ppm of sulphate ion efficiently, to grow in the prese nce of up to 100 ppm of copper and 30 ppm of iron, and alkalise the medium, provided that this was not extremely acidic (pH >4). Finally, according to the results obtained, the possibility of applying this method to the treat ment of a real effluent is discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.