Sequential hydrotalcite precipitation, microbial sulfate reduction and in situ hydrogen sulfide removal for neutral mine drainage treatment

Abstract

This study proposed and examined a new process flowsheet for treating neutral mine drainage (NMD) from an open-pit gold mine. The process consisted of three sequential stages: (1) in situ hydrotalcite (HT) precipitation; (2) low-cost carbon substrate driven microbial sulfate reduction; and (3) ferrosol reactive barrier for removing biogenic dissolved hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). For concept validation, laboratory-scale columns were established and operated for a 140-days period with key process performance parameters regularly measured. At the end, solids recovered from various depths of the ferrosol column were analysed for elemental composition and mineral phases. Prokaryotic microbial communities in various process locations were characterised using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results showed that the Stage 1 HT-treatment substantially removed a range of elements (As, B, Ba, Ca, F, Zn, Si, and U) in the NMD, but not nitrate or sulfate. The Stage 2 sulfate reducing bioreactor (SRB) packed with 70 % (v/v) Eucalyptus woodchip, 1 % (w/v) ground (<1 mm) dried Typha biomass, and 10 % (w/v) NMD-pond sediment facilitated complete nitrate removal and stable sulfate removal of ca. 50 % (50 g-SO₄ m^-3 d^-1), with an average H₂S generation rate of 10 g-H₂S m^-3d^-1. The H₂S-removal performance of the Stage 3 ferrosol column was compared with a synthetic amorphous Fe-oxyhydroxide-amended sand control column. Although both columns facilitated excellent (95-100 %) H₂S removal, the control column only enabled a further ca. 10 % sulfate reduction, giving an overall sulfate removal of 56 %. In contrast, the ferrosol enabled an extra 99.9 % sulfate reduction in the SRB effluent, leading to a near complete sulfate removal. Overall, the process successfully eliminated a range of metal/metalloid contaminants, nitrate, sulfate (2500 mg-SO₄ L^-1 in the NMD to <10 mg-SO₄ L^-1 in the final effluent) and H₂S (>95 % removal). Further optimisation is required to minimise release of ferrous iron from the ferrosol barrier into the final effluent.

Keywords: Biological sulfate reduction; Constructed wetland; Ferrosol; Hydrotalcite precipitation; Neutral mine drainage; Wood chips.