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Operational Lessons Learned During Bioreactor Demonstrations for Acid Rock Drainage Treatment
Citation:
BLESS, D. R., B. PARK, S. Nordwick, M. Zaluski, AND H. Joyce. Operational Lessons Learned During Bioreactor Demonstrations for Acid Rock Drainage Treatment. Mine Water and the Environment. Springer Berlin - Heidelberg, , Germany, 27(4):241-250, (2008).
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Mine Waste Technology Program (MWTP) has emphasized the development of biologically-based treatment technologies for acid rock drainage (ARD). Progressively evolving technology demonstrations have resulted in significant advances in sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) bioreactor development. Information and lessons learned from five demonstrations will be presented. The first and longest demonstration was an in situ bioreactor installed within the flooded subsurface workings of the Lilly Mine. The second demonstration compared SRB bioreactor operational attributes, including lime pretreatment and reactor temperature at the Calliope Mine. The third demonstration at the Golden Sunlight Mine consisted of two treatment steps with a large recycle stream. A bioreactor supplied hydrogen sulfide, which then mixed with ARD and reacted to precipitate the dissolved metals. The fourth design included both anaerobic and aerobic bioreactors at the Surething Mine. This system operated for 4 years and demonstrated the comprehensive applicability for biological treatment. The fifth project was an investigation into future bioreactor designs and resulted in a proposed bioreactor configuration to effectively treat ARD by reducing dissolved sulfate and heavy metals concentrations. In summary, MWTP results from these five bioreactor configurations show that SRB bioreactors are effective for passive ARD treatment.
