Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage with Sulfate Reducing Bacteria

Abstract

Sulfate reducing bacteria have been shown to be effective at treating acid mine drainage through sulfide production and subsequent precipitation of metal sulfides. In this laboratory experiment for undergraduate environmental chemistry courses, students design and implement a set of bioreactors to remediate acid mine drainage and explain observed changes in dissolved metal concentrations and pH. Using synthetic acid mine drainage and combinations of inputs, students monitor their bioreactors for decreases in dissolved copper and iron concentrations. This laboratory provides students with a wide range of potential learning objectives, including experimental design, data interpretation, and analytical techniques such as atomic absorption spectrophotometry, as well as learning about the potentially complex interactions between biological and chemical reactions present in many natural systems.