Dependence of bioremediation performance of acid mine drainage on substrate characteristics

Abstract

Treatment of acid mine drainage is carried out by physical, chemical and biological methods. The biological method using sulfate reducing bacteria and sulfidogenic bioreactor has been proved to be promising in terms of cost effectiveness and eco-friendly manner of the treatment procedure. After modification of few characteristics like bioreactor type, reactor flow rate, hydraulic retention time and efficient immobilizing material for biomass the efficiency of the bioreactor performance can be enhanced. While the cheap and easily available substrates which can serve as good nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, they will also increase the rate of sulfate reduction as well as reactor performance. Several composted and complex organic substances like sewage sludge, mushroom compost, manure, leaf compost, crab shell chitin, mussel shell etc. can serve as good and available source of nutrients for sulfate reducing bacteria. Some of the substrates like sheep manure, crab shell, chitin, mixture of mushroom compost, cow manure, saw dust, wood chips and cut rice straw have been reported to remove almost complete sulfate from water in several batch reactor studies.