Engineering Application of In Situ Microbial Remediation Technology for High-Sulfate Mine Water

Strategic Insights -

Research has revealed the widespread issue of high-sulfate mine water in China, with over 50% of mine water containing neutral and weakly alkaline properties, resulting in high treatment costs. To address this problem, scientists at the China University of Mining and Technology conducted a study on the use of sulfate-reducing bacteria-permeable reactive barrier (SRB-PRB) for in situ remediation of sulfate in coal mine goafs. The research utilized low-cost corncob as a carbon source and simulated weakly alkaline mine water to test the effectiveness of the SRB-PRB technology.

Key Takeaways:

  • The SRB-PRB technology was found to achieve in situ low-cost remediation of sulfate in coal mine goafs, with removal efficiencies of up to 65.5% for the mixed packed column and 56.6% for the layered packed column.
  • The technology utilized a synergistic effect between sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and complex organic-degrading bacteria to achieve high-efficiency sulfate removal.
  • The use of low-cost corncob as a carbon source provided a relatively long-term carbon source supply, allowing the SRB-PRB technology to operate efficiently for up to 40 days.
  • The engineering application schemes of the SRB-PRB were proposed for both in-production and abandoned mining scenarios, with material costs estimated to be between 0.2-1.55 USD/m3.
  • The research concluded that the findings would benefit the engineering application of in situ microbial remediation technology for high-sulfate mine water.

Statistics:

  • Over 50% of mine water in China contains neutral and weakly alkaline properties, resulting in high treatment costs.
  • The SRB-PRB technology achieved sulfate removal efficiencies of up to 65.5% for the mixed packed column and 56.6% for the layered packed column.
  • The technology utilized a carbon source that provided a relatively long-term carbon supply, allowing it to operate efficiently for up to 40 days.
  • Material costs for the SRB-PRB technology were estimated to be between 0.2-1.55 USD/m3.
  • The research concluded that the technology had the potential to benefit the engineering application of in situ microbial remediation for high-sulfate mine water.

Sources:

  • Mechanisms of Sulfate In Situ Removal Using Srb-prb Driven By Low-cost Sustained-release Carbon Source In Coal Mine Goafs: a Dynamic Column Experiment Study. Water, 2025;17(18):2684. Water can be contacted at: Mdpi, St Alban-Anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland.
  • Zhimin Xu, China University of Mining and Technology, School of Resources and Geosciences, Xuzhou 221116, People's Republic of China.
  • Li Zhang, Mingan Xiahou, Yating Gao, Juan Guo, Liang Gao, and Chi Li, additional authors for the research.