In-situ remediation of acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mine by filed pilot-scale passive treatment system: Performance and response of microbial communities to low pH and elevated Fe

Haiyan Chen; Tangfu Xiao; Zengping Ning; Qian Li; Enzong Xiao; Yizhang Liu; Qingxiang Xiao; Xiaolong Lan; Liang Ma; Fanghai Lu

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123985

In-situ remediation of acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mine by filed pilot-scale passive treatment system: Performance and response of microbial communities to low pH and elevated Fe

Bioresour Technol. 2020 Dec:317:123985. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123985. Epub 2020 Aug 8.

Authors

Haiyan Chen¹, Tangfu Xiao², Zengping Ning³, Qian Li⁴, Enzong Xiao⁴, Yizhang Liu³, Qingxiang Xiao⁵, Xiaolong Lan⁶, Liang Ma¹, Fanghai Lu⁷

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
² Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: tfxiao@gzhu.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China; School of Tourism Management, Guizhou University of Commerce, Guiyang 550014, China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China; School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Hanshan Normal University, Chaozhou 521041, China.
⁷ School of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Guizhou Institute of Technology, Guiyang 550003, China.

PMID: 32805482
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123985

Abstract

A field pilot-scale passive treatment system was developed for in-situ bioremediation of acid mine drainage (AMD). The microbial community and its variation were analyzed. The data proved that 93.7% of total soluble Fe and 99% of soluble Fe(II) could be removed by the system. Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) showed that a low pH and an elevated Fe concentration within the system created a unique microbial community that was dominated by acidophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria and iron-reducing bacteria. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) indicated that the pH, iron content and total sulfur jointly determined the composition of the microbial communities. Species of Ferrovum, Delftia, Acinetobacter, Metallibacterium, Acidibacter and Acidiphilium were highly enriched, which promoted the removal of iron. Furthermore, the results revealed important data for the biogeochemical coupling of microbial communities and environmental parameters. These findings are beneficial for further application of in-situ field bioreactors to remediate AMD.

Keywords: Acid mine drainage (AMD); In-situ bioremediation; Iron; Microbial community.

MeSH terms

Acids
Coal
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Microbiota*
Mining*

Substances

Acids
Coal