International Trials of Vertical Flow Reactors for Coal Mine Water Treatment

Abstract

previous research confirmed that VFRs can be used as standalone passive treatment systems for iron removal from mine waters with a footprint less than half of the area required by a conventional aerobic wetland. A VFR can also provide useful iron pretreatment for other passive treatment systems under circumneutral conditions, but would have to be combined with alkaline generating systems to achieve full iron removal from acidic mine waters.

Experimental Study on the Hydroponics of Wetland Plants for the Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage

“…However, it was found that 107-640 g of limestone is required to neutralize 1 L of AMD, making the application of neutralization quite expensive and unsafe when treating large amounts of AMD produced in coal mines [11]. The use of constructed wetlands (CWs) for AMD treatment is a rapidly developing passive treatment technology that focuses mainly on metal and sulfate removal [12,13]. CW is Sustainability 2022, 14, 2148 2 of 13 a substrate-microbial-plant composite ecosystem with physical, chemical, and biological triple synergy [14], which is an economic, efficient, and environment-friendly AMD remediation technology.…”