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Biological Treatment of Mining and Industrial Effluents and Groundwaters

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2022) | Viewed by 23372

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Fabienne Battaglia-Brunet

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Guest Editor

Geomicrobiology and Environmental Monitoring Unit, Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM, French geological survey), 45060 Orleans, CEDEX 02, France
Interests: geomicrobiology; mining environments; arsenic bacterial transformation; sulfate reduction; biotreatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human activities are the cause of water pollution at a global scale. While increasingly strict regulations have decreased the discharge of toxic substances into surface and groundwater during the last decade, the quality of aquatic environments still suffers in many regions because of the legacy of historical industries. As a fact, orphan sites should be cleaned by collectivies or states, and their remediation can be hampered by economic and/or administrative obstacles. Ancient mining sites, sometime located in remote areas, can generate acid or neutral mine drainages that, when not treated because of economical or technical obstacles, induce the dissemination of metals and metalloids, which affect entire watersheds.

Biotreatments take advantage of the helpful catalytic power of living organisms to facilitate reactions contributing to water purification, namely the mineralization of organic molecules into CO₂and H₂O, and the modification of the speciation of metals or metalloids facilitating their removal from water through precipitation or adsorption processes. Aquatic plants may also be involved in water cleaning processes. Biological reactions can present advantages compared with classical physical or chemical processes, in terms of their energy and/or chemical consumption, cost, and carbon balance. However, research is still needed in the domain of water bio-treatment in order to improve the stability and robustness of the biological activity, and to demonstrate the efficiency of new nature-based solutions through pilot experiments and demonstration-scale case studies.

In order to contribute to the dissemination of knowledge in this field, the present Special Issue of Water will gather contributions in the domains of the biological treatment of mining and industrial effluents and groundwater, including the following topics:

New bio-processes for metal and metalloids removal from water or the biodegradation of new or persistent organic molecules;
New bioreactor designs for passive or semi-passive biotreatment; laboratory, pilot, or demonstration-scale experiments, including microbial and/or plant-based biotreatment processes; and treatment schemes combining several biotreatment steps.
Factors influencing the biodiversity and activity of the living organisms involved in water biotreatment steps, and solutions to overcome the fluctuations of biotreatment efficiency.

Dr. Fabienne Battaglia-Brunet
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

biotreatment
mine water
industrial pollution
groundwater
micro-organisms
plants
ex-situ
in-situ
bioreactor

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3128 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Start-Up and Performance of a Full Scale Passive System In-Cluding Biofilters for the Treatment of Fe, as and Mn in a Neutral Mine Drainage

by Jérôme Jacob, Catherine Joulian and Fabienne Battaglia-Brunet

Water 2022, 14(12), 1963; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14121963 - 19 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2170

Abstract

Passive mine drainage treatment plants are the scene of many chemical and biological reactions. Here, the establishment of iron (Fe), arsenic (As), and manganese (Mn) removal was monitored immediately after the commissioning of the Lopérec (Brittany, France) passive water treatment plant, composed of aeration cascades and settling ponds followed by pozzolana biofilters. Iron and As were almost completely removed immediately after commissioning, while Mn removal took more than 28 days to reach its maximum performance. Investigations were performed during two periods presenting strong variations in feeding flow-rates: from 2.8 m³.h⁻¹ to 8.6 m³.h⁻¹ and from 13.2 m³.h⁻¹ to 31.3 m³.h⁻¹. Design flow rate was reached during the first week of the second period. Dissolved Fe and As were not affected by the decrease in residence time while Mn was only slightly affected. Microbial communities in biofilter presented similarities with those of the pond sludge, and genera including Mn-oxidizing species were detected. Proportion of bacteria carrying the aioA gene encoding for As(III)-oxidase enzyme increased in communities during the second period. Results suggest Mn removal is mainly associated with bio-oxidation whereas removal of Fe and As could be mainly attributed to chemical oxidation and precipitation of Fe, possibly helped by As(III) bio-oxidation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Treatment of Mining and Industrial Effluents and Groundwaters)

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15 pages, 3060 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Biological As(III) Oxidation Coupled with As(V) Interception by Fibrous Anion Exchange Material FFA-1

by Junfeng Wan, Rattanak Hai, Yucong Zhang, Lihui Cui, Xiaoying Guo, Fabienne Battaglia-Brunet, Véronique Deluchat, Siguo Yuan, Jiajia Huang and Yan Wang

Water 2022, 14(6), 856; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14060856 - 09 Mar 2022

Viewed by 1623

Abstract

A combined process, including As(III) oxidation and As removal by the fibrous anion exchange material FFA-1, was established to treat arsenite ([As(III)] = 10 mg L⁻¹)-polluted groundwater. Both fixed-bed reactors (R1 and R2) were separately filled with pozzolana and FFA-1. After 72 h of inoculation and 10 days of operation, As(III) oxidation efficiency reached around 100% and the total As in the effluent was below 10 µg L⁻¹ for over 100 days. Then, the combined system was stopped and a desorption experiment on the FFA-1 collected from R2 was carried out. The results revealed that the As trapped by the FFA-1 was distributed linearly along the axial length of R2, and the maximum capacity for removal of the FFA-1 from R2 was about 28 mg As g⁻¹ FFA-1. Moreover, the anions’ competing test showed that they were preferentially sequestrated by the FFA-1 according to the following order: SO₄²⁻ > PO₄³⁻ ≈ AsO₄³⁻ > NO₃⁻ at neutral pH. Furthermore, the microorganisms attached to the FFA-1, including some arsenite-oxidizing microorganisms (AsOBs), could be a beneficial complement to the As(III) oxidation and, thus, the total As removal. At the same time, the regeneration test proved that the As(V) interception capacity of FFA-1 was barely affected by the presence of biofilm. Additionally, the calculated operating cost showed that this combined process has great potential for the remediation of As-polluted groundwater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Treatment of Mining and Industrial Effluents and Groundwaters)

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13 pages, 5587 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Removal of Cyanide and Other Nitrogen-Based Compounds from Gold Mine Effluents Using Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR)

by Isaac Amoesih Kwofie, Henri Jogand, Myriam De Ladurantaye-Noël and Caroline Dale

Water 2021, 13(23), 3370; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w13233370 - 29 Nov 2021

Viewed by 2294

Abstract

Mining operations generate effluents containing pollutants such as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as a result of blasting operations. Cyanide compounds such as free cyanide, cyanate and thiocyanate are also present when cyanide is used in the gold recovery process. In most cases, mine effluent stored in the ponds eventually needs to be discharged to the environment; however, the levels of contaminants often exceed the discharge limits hence cannot be discharged without treatment. Several treatment solutions exist for the removal of nitrogen compounds and cyanide. Reverse osmosis is often perceived as a good solution as it produces an effluent of high quality. However, reverse osmosis also produces a brine which is recycled to the ponds, gradually increasing the total dissolved solids (TDS) in the ponds over time. Biological treatment offers an alternative to reverse osmosis with the added benefit that nitrogen compounds are fully converted to innocuous nitrogen gas, which is released to the atmosphere, thereby offering a more sustainable treatment solution. Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors (MBBR) have been used successfully at several mines. In Quebec, a two stage MBBR was installed to remove OCN, SCN and NH₄-N from the effluent prior to discharge. The MBBR plant has been in operation for 4 years; operating data will be presented to show that a fully compliant non-toxic effluent is discharged under a wide range of operating conditions. In Ghana, pilot trials were conducted at a gold mine to demonstrate complete removal of nitrogen compounds including CN, NH₄-N, NO₂-N and NO₃-N using a four- stage MBBR system. Results from both systems are presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Treatment of Mining and Industrial Effluents and Groundwaters)

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10 pages, 2287 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioremediation of Uranium- and Nitrate-Contaminated Groundwater after the In Situ Leach Mining of Uranium

by Rehemanjiang Wufuer, Jia Duo, Wenfeng Li, Jinglong Fan and Xiangliang Pan

Water 2021, 13(22), 3188; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w13223188 - 11 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2412

Abstract

Uranium and nitrate are common groundwater pollutants near in situ leach uranium mines. However, we still lack techniques that can simultaneously immobilize uranium and reduce nitrate using a single bacterial species. In this study, the potential of simultaneous uranium immobilization and nitrate reduction by a single AFODN (anaerobic Fe(II) oxidizing denitrifier), Clostridium sp. PXL2, was investigated. Clostridium sp. PXL2 showed tolerance to U(VI) concentrations varying from 4.2 µM to 42 µM. The U(VI) immobilization and nitrate reduction rates in groundwater samples inoculated with this bacterium reached up to 75.1% and 55.7%, respectively, under neutral conditions. Exposure to oxidation conditions led to further U(VI) removal but did not show any noticeable effect on nitrate reduction. The U(VI) immobilization rate reached up to 85% with an increased Fe(II) initial concentration, but this inhibited nitrate reduction. SEM (scanning electron microscopy) coupled with EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy) showed that the U(VI) immobilization was mainly due to sorption to amorphous ferric oxides. U(VI) and nitrate bioremediation by AFODNs, including Clostridium sp. PXL2, may provide a promising method for the treatment of uranium- and nitrate-contaminated groundwater after the in situ leach mining of uranium. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Treatment of Mining and Industrial Effluents and Groundwaters)

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Review

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31 pages, 2768 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Nitrate Water Contamination from Industrial Activities and Complete Denitrification as a Remediation Option

by Karabelo M. Moloantoa, Zenzile P. Khetsha, Esta van Heerden, Julio C. Castillo and Errol D. Cason

Water 2022, 14(5), 799; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14050799 - 03 Mar 2022

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 13876

Abstract

Freshwater is a scarce resource that continues to be at high risk of pollution from anthropogenic activities, requiring remediation in such cases for its continuous use. The agricultural and mining industries extensively use water and nitrogen (N)-dependent products, mainly in fertilizers and explosives, respectively, with their excess accumulating in different water bodies. Although removal of NO₃ from water and soil through the application of chemical, physical, and biological methods has been studied globally, these methods seldom yield N₂ gas as a desired byproduct for nitrogen cycling. These methods predominantly cause secondary contamination with deposits of chemical waste such as slurry brine, nitrite (NO₂), ammonia (NH₃), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), which are also harmful and fastidious to remove. This review focuses on complete denitrification facilitated by bacteria as a remedial option aimed at producing nitrogen gas as a terminal byproduct. Synergistic interaction of different nitrogen metabolisms from different bacteria is highlighted, with detailed attention to the optimization of their enzymatic activities. A biotechnological approach to mitigating industrial NO₃ contamination using indigenous bacteria from wastewater is proposed, holding the prospect of optimizing to the point of complete denitrification. The approach was reviewed and found to be durable, sustainable, cost effective, and environmentally friendly, as opposed to current chemical and physical water remediation technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Treatment of Mining and Industrial Effluents and Groundwaters)

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