Characterization and reactivity assessment of organic substrates for sulphate-reducing bacteria in acid mine drainage treatment

Acid mine drainage (AMD), which contains high concentrations of sulphate and dissolved metals, is a serious environmental problem. It can be treated in situ by sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB), but effectiveness of the treatment process depends on the organic substrate chosen to supply the bacteria’s carbon source. Six natural organic materials were characterized in order to investigate how well these promote sulphate reduction and metal precipitation by SRB. Maple wood chips, sphagnum peat moss, leaf compost, conifer compost, poultry manure and conifer sawdust were investigated in terms of their carbon (TOC, TIC, DOC) and nitrogen (TKN) content, as well as their easily available substances content (EAS). Single substrates, ethanol, a mixture of leaf compost (30% w/w), poultry manure (18% w/w), and maple wood chips (2% w/w), and the same mixture spiked with formaldehyde were then tested in a 70-day batch experiment to evaluate their performance in sulphate reduction and metal removal from synthetic AMD.