Selective Precipitation Of Iron In Acid Mine Drainage Using Iron Oxidizing Bacteria

Author : Marlena Michaela Gouin
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 122 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (874 download)

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Download or read book Acid Mine Drainage Remediation Utilizing Iron-oxidizing Bacteria written by Marlena Michaela Gouin and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Acid mine drainage is pollution that occurs when water trapped in abandoned coal mines leaks out and pollutes the local water systems. One of the most abundant metals found in acid mine drainage is iron. Iron often precipitates out of the system naturally in the form of iron(III) hydroxide, leading to a decrease in fluid pH. Iron oxidizing bacteria can promote this reaction process, assisting in the removel of Fe(II) ions from the acid mine drainage. The increase in acidity can be detrimental to surrounding wildlife. The purpose of this paper is to develop a model that includes the hydrodynamics and reactive transport of ions in the system. The model predictions will be compared to local field data and those found in the literature. In addition the model analyzes the precipitation of the iron(III) hydroxide crust as a function of space and time. Several parameters are varied to observe predictions made by the model with different physical circumstances. Forcing low concentrations of oxygen in the system produces slower the rate of iron(III) hydroxide crust growth. Increasing the angle of inclination while holding the flow rate fixed causes a very small decrease in iron(III) hydroxide crust growth. Decreasing the flow rate of the system while maintaining a fixed angle of inclination to simulate a thinning of the liquid layer produces a slower iron(III) hydroxide crust growth rate. When the angle of inclination is varied with fixed fluid film thickness, as the angle of inclination increases, iron(III) hydroxide crust growth decreases. When the forward rate for surface reactions and the reverse rate for bulk reactions are increased, both decreased the rate of iron(III) hydroxide crust production. When the reverse rate for surface reactions and the forward rate for bulk reactions are increased, they increase iron(III) hydroxide crust growth rate. An increase in iron oxidizing bacteria can increase the oxidation of Fe(II). Therefore, an increase in the abundance of iron oxidizing bacteria can increase the rate of iron(III) hydroxide crust growth.