Removal of copper in a sulfate reducing bioreactor with a limestone pre-column system

 

Authors

Méndez Silva, Gabriela Inés

Format

BachelorThesis

Status

publishedVersion

Description

The potential environmental hazard of acid mines drainages (AMD) is a problem that need to be addressed in mining regions worldwide; biological treatments catalyzed by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) present an interesting alternative because they are much cheaper and more efficient than conventional chemical and physical treatments. The objective of this research was to evaluate the metabolic activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria present in anaerobic samples collected near mining areas and different inoculum in batch assays amended with sulfate (2000 mg L-1) as electron acceptor and acetate (2.5g COD acetate L-1) as carbon source under environmental control conditions of pH and temperature. A physical, chemical and microbiological characterization of samples collected near mining regions was also carried out with samples collected from different sectors of Portovelo-Zaruma the most important mining region in Ecuador. Then, the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the same samples was evaluated through the measurement of sulfide production and sulfate reduction. Bioassays were conducted to determine the highest sulfate-reducing activity between the granular sludge of: the treatment plant of the National Brewery, the artificial lagoon of the University San Francisco de Quito (USFQ); and the sample collected near Oroporto mine (homogenized of the sediments and supernatant). The best inoculum evaluated was the sediment of the artificial lagoon at University San Francisco de Quito, showing a sulfate reducing activity of 7821.67 mg SO42- kg-1 VSS d-1 and a sulfide production of 4855.69 mg S2- kg-1 VSS d-1. The production of methane in the sediments of the artificial lagoon at USFQ was also monitored to study microbial competition under anaerobic conditions; obtaining a methanogenic activity of 0.0115 of g COD-CH4 g VSS-1 d-1 .

Publication Year

2016

Language

Topic

Microbiología
Sulfatos
Bioreactores
CIENCIAS
MICROBIOLOGÍA

Repository

Repositorio Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Get full text

http://repositorio.usfq.edu.ec/handle/23000/5363

Rights

openAccess

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ec/