Use of propionic acid additions to enhance zinc removal from mine drainage in short residence time, flow-through sulfate-reducing bioreactors

Catherine J. Gandy; Neil D. Gray; Obioma K. Mejehab; Angela Sherry; Adam P. Jarvis

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116862

Use of propionic acid additions to enhance zinc removal from mine drainage in short residence time, flow-through sulfate-reducing bioreactors

Catherine J. Gandy^*, Neil D. Gray, Obioma K. Mejehab, Angela Sherry, Adam P. Jarvis

^*Corresponding author for this work

Applied Sciences

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Abstract

The effectiveness of liquid carbon additions to enhance zinc removal in laboratory-scale short hydraulic residence time (19 hours) compost bioreactors receiving synthetic mine water with a high influent zinc concentration (45 mg/L) was investigated. Effective removal of such elevated zinc concentrations could not be sustained by sulfate reduction and / or other attenuation processes without carbon supplementation. Propionic acid addition resulted in improved and sustained performance by promoting the activities of sulfate reducing bacteria, leading to efficient zinc removal (mean 99%) via bacterial sulfate reduction. In contrast, cessation of propionic acid addition led to carbon limitation and the growth of sulfur oxidising bacteria, compromising zinc removal by bacterial sulfate reduction. These research findings demonstrate the potential for modest liquid carbon additions to compost-based passive treatment systems to engineer microbial responses which enhance rates of zinc attenuation in a short hydraulic residence time, enabling remediation of highly polluting mine drainage at sites with limited land availability.

Original language	English
Article number	116862
Number of pages	8
Journal	Journal of Environmental Management
Volume	327
Early online date	30 Nov 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116862
Publication status	Published - 1 Feb 2023

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title = "Use of propionic acid additions to enhance zinc removal from mine drainage in short residence time, flow-through sulfate-reducing bioreactors",

abstract = "The effectiveness of liquid carbon additions to enhance zinc removal in laboratory-scale short hydraulic residence time (19 hours) compost bioreactors receiving synthetic mine water with a high influent zinc concentration (45 mg/L) was investigated. Effective removal of such elevated zinc concentrations could not be sustained by sulfate reduction and / or other attenuation processes without carbon supplementation. Propionic acid addition resulted in improved and sustained performance by promoting the activities of sulfate reducing bacteria, leading to efficient zinc removal (mean 99%) via bacterial sulfate reduction. In contrast, cessation of propionic acid addition led to carbon limitation and the growth of sulfur oxidising bacteria, compromising zinc removal by bacterial sulfate reduction. These research findings demonstrate the potential for modest liquid carbon additions to compost-based passive treatment systems to engineer microbial responses which enhance rates of zinc attenuation in a short hydraulic residence time, enabling remediation of highly polluting mine drainage at sites with limited land availability.",

keywords = "Zinc, Mine drainage, Compost bioreactor, Carbon addition, Sulfate reducing, Residence time",

author = "Gandy, {Catherine J.} and Gray, {Neil D.} and Mejehab, {Obioma K.} and Angela Sherry and Jarvis, {Adam P.}",

note = "Funding information: The research was funded by the UK Coal Authority (Contract references CA18/2377 and CA18/2349), as part of the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines (WAMM) Programme, a partnership with the Environment Agency and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.",

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doi = "10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116862",

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T1 - Use of propionic acid additions to enhance zinc removal from mine drainage in short residence time, flow-through sulfate-reducing bioreactors

AU - Gandy, Catherine J.

AU - Gray, Neil D.

AU - Mejehab, Obioma K.

AU - Sherry, Angela

AU - Jarvis, Adam P.

N1 - Funding information: The research was funded by the UK Coal Authority (Contract references CA18/2377 and CA18/2349), as part of the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines (WAMM) Programme, a partnership with the Environment Agency and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

PY - 2023/2/1

Y1 - 2023/2/1

N2 - The effectiveness of liquid carbon additions to enhance zinc removal in laboratory-scale short hydraulic residence time (19 hours) compost bioreactors receiving synthetic mine water with a high influent zinc concentration (45 mg/L) was investigated. Effective removal of such elevated zinc concentrations could not be sustained by sulfate reduction and / or other attenuation processes without carbon supplementation. Propionic acid addition resulted in improved and sustained performance by promoting the activities of sulfate reducing bacteria, leading to efficient zinc removal (mean 99%) via bacterial sulfate reduction. In contrast, cessation of propionic acid addition led to carbon limitation and the growth of sulfur oxidising bacteria, compromising zinc removal by bacterial sulfate reduction. These research findings demonstrate the potential for modest liquid carbon additions to compost-based passive treatment systems to engineer microbial responses which enhance rates of zinc attenuation in a short hydraulic residence time, enabling remediation of highly polluting mine drainage at sites with limited land availability.

AB - The effectiveness of liquid carbon additions to enhance zinc removal in laboratory-scale short hydraulic residence time (19 hours) compost bioreactors receiving synthetic mine water with a high influent zinc concentration (45 mg/L) was investigated. Effective removal of such elevated zinc concentrations could not be sustained by sulfate reduction and / or other attenuation processes without carbon supplementation. Propionic acid addition resulted in improved and sustained performance by promoting the activities of sulfate reducing bacteria, leading to efficient zinc removal (mean 99%) via bacterial sulfate reduction. In contrast, cessation of propionic acid addition led to carbon limitation and the growth of sulfur oxidising bacteria, compromising zinc removal by bacterial sulfate reduction. These research findings demonstrate the potential for modest liquid carbon additions to compost-based passive treatment systems to engineer microbial responses which enhance rates of zinc attenuation in a short hydraulic residence time, enabling remediation of highly polluting mine drainage at sites with limited land availability.

KW - Zinc

KW - Mine drainage

KW - Compost bioreactor

KW - Carbon addition

KW - Sulfate reducing

KW - Residence time

U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116862

DO - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116862

M3 - Article

SN - 0301-4797

VL - 327

JO - Journal of Environmental Management

JF - Journal of Environmental Management

M1 - 116862

ER -

Use of propionic acid additions to enhance zinc removal from mine drainage in short residence time, flow-through sulfate-reducing bioreactors

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