Long-term Performance of Passive
Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Systems

Ziemkiewicz, Paul; Skousen, Jeff; Simmons, Jennifer

doi:10.1007/s10230-003-0012-0

Cited by 136 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The alkaline water can be obtained from naturally alkaline sources or by limestone or slag beds, as discussed later in this review. Performance and cost/benefit comparisons have been presented by Ziemkiewicz et al (2002Ziemkiewicz et al ( , 2003a for 137 passive systems of various types. Of 19 VFP's, 16 removed acidity.…”

Section: Inadequate Vertical Reliefmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Passive Treatment of Coal Mine Drainage 1998-2009

Rose¹

2010

JASMR

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Abstract. This report updates the review of passive treatment prepared by the Acid Drainage Technology Initiative (Skousen et al., 1998). Important advances since that report include: 1. Measured and calculated acidities are net acidities that are robust measures of this parameter. 2. Removal rates of Fe at pH>5 can be enhanced by CO 2 degassing, by catalysis by solid Fe phases and by specialized aerators; at pH<5, low pH Fe oxidation by bacteria can be helpful in treating high-Fe acidic discharges. 3. For low-Fe-Al AMD, oxic limestone drains can be effective for treatment, but effectiveness declines over years owing to accumulation of precipitate. 4. For high Fe or Al AMD, limestone beds with timed flushing devices can remove large amounts of metals, though eventual cleaning of the limestone may be needed. 5. Addition of limestone sand or lime to streams can be a cost-effective method of restoring watersheds 6. Vertical flow ponds (VFP's, SAPS) can be sized using a loading factor of 25-35 g of acidity/m 2 /d. 7. Manual flushing of VFP's removes only a few percent of accumulated Al precipitate, but timed flushing can be much more effective. 8. Common problems of VFP's include inadequate size, accumulation of Fe precipitate on compost, deterioration owing to Al coatings, and construction defects. 9. Sulfate reduction in passive systems involves a complex community of microbes, with long-term rates dependent on cellulose degrading microbes. Mixtures of fresh organic matter with high-cellulose material appear to provide good performance in lab tests, but more data on longer-term behavior is needed. 10. Sulfate-reducing bioreactors process Al better than older VFP's. 11. Steel slag and chitin hold promise for effective treatment of AMD. 12. A relation for sizing of limestone beds for Mn removal has been developed. 13. Fe precipitate from sludge is being successfully sold for pigment production, and Mn-rich concentrate has been recovered from limestone beds. 14. A revised flow chart for selection of treatment method has been prepared, and the AMDTreat computer program allows easy costing of passive treatment.

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Section: Inadequate Vertical Reliefmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Passive Treatment of Coal Mine Drainage 1998-2009

Rose¹

2010

JASMR

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“…In accordance with methods used by Ziemkiewicz et al (2003) for 83 different treatment systems in the eastern US, the acid-removal efficiency was computed as the median acid load removed (influent netacidity load-effluent net-acidity load, in g/day as CaCO 3 ) divided by the size of the treatment system. The size of wetland systems was indicated by the total surface area (in m 2 ) of ponds and wetlands; in contrast, the size of limestone systems was indicated by the total mass of limestone (in t) installed during the elapsed years in service.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, every site requiring treatment has unique environmental characteristics. In general, passive treatment systems are effective for treating 'typical' flow and waterquality conditions (Skousen et al 1998;Ziemkiewicz et al 2003), though treatment effectiveness and downstream benefits may diminish as conditions deviate from normal. For example, the performance of a treatment system could decline with increased flow rate during runoff events because of decreased retention time and/or increased contaminant load.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conventional active treatment of AMD involves the addition of caustic chemicals, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or hydrated lime (Ca(OH) 2 ), to increase pH and remove dissolved metals (Skousen et al 1998). Alternatively, passive and semi-passive AMD treatment systems include anaerobic and aerobic wetlands and various limestone-based systems, such as anoxic or oxic limestone drains, open limestone channels, limestone diversion wells, and vertical flow compost wetlands (Hedin et al 1994a;Skousen et al 1998;Watzlaf et al 2004;Ziemkiewicz et al 2003). These passive and semi-passive systems generally are limited by slower rates of neutralization and pollutant removal than active treatment systems but can be cost effective where water chemistry meets suggested criteria and where land and component materials are locally available (Ziemkiewicz et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Abandoned Mine Drainage in the Swatara Creek Basin, Southern Anthracite Coalfield, Pennsylvania, USA: 2. Performance of Treatment Systems

Cravotta¹

2010

Mine Water Environ

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“…These systems may be composed of a variety of unit processes, including oxidation/settling ponds, vertical flow cells, and anoxic limestone drains (Watzlaf et al, 2004;Ziemkiewicz et al, 2003). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of First 1.5 Years of Operation of a Passive Treatment System in Se Oklahom

LaBar¹,

Nairn²

2009

JASMR

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A 12-cell passive treatment system was constructed to treat an abandoned coal mine discharge near Hartshorne, Oklahoma. The system was designed to treat a net-acidic discharge (1400 mg/L) characterized by elevated concentrations of metals (Fe 765 mg/L; Mn 18 mg/L; Na 1800 mg/L), anions (Cl -225 mg/L; SO 4 2-7800 mg/L), with pH 5.4, and flow ~40 L/min. The mine water was discharging from an existing air shaft, which was converted into a vertical anoxic limestone drain (VALD) to generate alkalinity. The VALD is followed by an alternating series of oxidation ponds and vertical flow cells, a polishing wetland, and finally an existing farm pond. System construction was completed in late 2005, but discharge from the VALD did not occur until January 2007 due to a prolonged regional drought. In the first 1.5 years of operation and monitoring, the VALD has consistently produced water with alkalinity concentrations in excess of 400mg/L as CaCO 3 . More importantly, the system has been effective in removing iron and manganese, with final concentrations of 0.67±0.62 mg/L and 4.39±4.71 mg/L, respectively. There has also been significant removal of trace metals such as cadmium and lead. The system is now discharging net-alkaline waters to the receiving stream. At current rates, the system generates ~4 tons/yr net alkalinity as CaCO 3 and retains ~12.5 tons/year iron.

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Long-term Performance of Passive Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Systems

Cited by 136 publications

References 34 publications

Advances in Passive Treatment of Coal Mine Drainage 1998-2009

Advances in Passive Treatment of Coal Mine Drainage 1998-2009

Abandoned Mine Drainage in the Swatara Creek Basin, Southern Anthracite Coalfield, Pennsylvania, USA: 2. Performance of Treatment Systems

Evaluation of First 1.5 Years of Operation of a Passive Treatment System in Se Oklahom

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