A modelling approach to assess the long-term stability of a novel microbial/electrochemical system for the treatment of acid mine drainage

Abstract

Microbial electrochemical processes have potential to remediate acid mine drainage (AMD) wastewaters which are highly acidic and rich in sulfate and heavy metals, without the need for extensive chemical dosing. In this manuscript, a novel hybrid microbial/electrochemical remediation process which uses a 3-reactor system-a precipitation vessel, an electrochemical reactor and a microbial electrochemical reactor with a sulfate-reducing biocathode-was modelled. To evaluate the long-term operability of this system, a dynamic model for the fluxes of 140 different ionic species was developed and calibrated using laboratory-scale experimental data. The model identified that when the reactors are ope..