Introduction Acidic mine drainage (AMD; also called “acid rock drainage” or “acid drainage”) is an environmental pollutant that impairs water resources in mining regions throughout the world. Where such treatment is required legally, treatment must be efficient and continual. Treatment methods are commonly divided into either “active,” meaning reliance on the addition of alkaline chemicals to n...

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Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) poses a severe pollution problem attributed to current and past mining activities. Low pH, high concentrations of sulphates and various heavy metals makes AMD treatment a major concern because of possible deleterious effects of the effluent on the surroundings. Treatment methods to address AMD focus on neutralizing, stabilizing and removing problem pollutants through va...

Biological sulfate reduction has been slowly replacing chemical unit processes to treat acid mine drainage (AMD). Bioremediations for AMD treatment are favored due to their low capital and maintenance cost. This paper describes the available AMD treatment, current SRB commercialization such as THIOPAQ® and BioSulphide® technologies, and also the factors and limitations faced. THIOPAQ® and BioSu...

The oxidation of iron sulfides in mine wastes is the main cause of acidic, sulfate, and trace element-rich acid mine drainage (AMD). However, the suite of reactions that transform iron from one species to another is quite complex. A reasonable strategy for controlling AMD production is to identify and further slow the slowest, rate-determining step (RDS) in the overall process. This paper provi...

The effects of mine drainage on 2 bacterial processes were examined in Rocky Mountain streams affected by mine drainage. Thymidine incorporation into bacterial DNA was measured as an index of bacterial production, and nitrification was examined because it is sensitive to a variety of stressors. These processes, as well as pH, concentration of dissolved Zn, and deposition rate of metal oxides, a...

Acid mine drainage (AMD) containing high concentrations of iron and sulphate, low pH and variableconcentrations of heavy metals leads to many environmental problems. The concentrations of Cu and Mnare high in the AMD of the Sarcheshmeh porphyry copper mine, Kerman province, south of Iran. In thisstudy, the bio-remediation of Cu and Mn ions from acid mine drainage was investigated using two nati...

The dissolution of sulfide minerals such as pyrite (FeS2), arsenopyrite (FeAsS), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), sphalerite (ZnS), and marcasite (FeS2) yields hot, sulfuric acid-rich solutions that contain high concentrations of toxic metals. In locations where access of oxidants to sulfide mineral surfaces is increased by mining, the resulting acid mine drainage (AMD) may contaminate surrounding ecosys...