An integrated acid mine drainage (AMD) solution has been developed using a combination of biological and chemical treatment steps to produce desalinated water fit for reuse or discharge. This process produces a smaller volume of solid waste when compared with conventional lime or limestone neutralization processes and offers the opportunity to extract valuable by-products such as elemental sulphur calcium carbonate pellets and magnesium hydroxide
This process produces a smaller volume of solid waste when compared with conventional lime or limestone neutralization processes; AMD is a significant challenge in South Africa and other countries where mining voids fill with water which when in contact with sulphide minerals form AMD âÃÂ" a low pH wastewater characterised by high concentrations of sulphate calcium magnesium and often dissolved metals such as iron and manganese and a variety of other trace metals. The VitaSOFT process for treating AMD integrates four biological processes with various chemical processes in order to treat acidic sulphate and metal containing wastewaters achieving a high water quality of potable standard. Sufficient alkalinity is produced in the initial biological sulphate reducing step to neutralise the acidity of the AMD and to precipitate the dissolved metals as metal sulphides and carbonates thereby eliminating the need to use a high density sludge neutralisation process. This further reduces the volume of solid...