A preliminary study to design a floating treatment wetland for remediating acid mine drainage-impacted water using vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides)

Kiiskila, Jeffrey D.; Sarkar, Dibyendu; Feuerstein, Kailey A.; Datta, Rupali

doi:10.1007/s11356-017-0401-8

Research Article
Published: 08 October 2017

A preliminary study to design a floating treatment wetland for remediating acid mine drainage-impacted water using vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides)

Jeffrey D. Kiiskila¹,
Dibyendu Sarkar²,
Kailey A. Feuerstein¹ &
Rupali Datta ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4117-0511¹

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 24, pages 27985–27993 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is extremely acidic, sulfate-rich effluent from abandoned or active mine sites that also contain elevated levels of heavy metals. Untreated AMD can contaminate surface and groundwater and pose severe ecological risk. Both active and passive methods have been developed for AMD treatment consisting of abiotic and biological techniques. Abiotic techniques are expensive and can create large amounts of secondary wastes. Passive biological treatment mainly consists of aerobic or anaerobic constructed wetlands. While aerobic wetlands are economical, they are not effective if the pH of the AMD is < 5. Anaerobic wetlands use organic-rich substrates to provide carbon source to iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria. The efficiency of these systems declines overtime and requires continuous maintenance. Our objective is to develop an alternative, low-cost, and sustainable floating wetland treatment (FWT) system for AMD for the abandoned Tab-Simco coal mining site in Illinois using vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides). Tab-Simco AMD is highly acidic, with mean pH value of 2.64, and contains high levels of sulfate and metals. A greenhouse study was performed for a 30-day period in order to screen and optimize the necessary parameters to design a FWT system. Water quality and plant growth parameters were continuously monitored. Results show significant SO₄ ²⁻ removal, resulting in increased pH, particularly at higher planting densities. Vetiver also helped in metal removal; high amounts of Fe, Zn, and Cu were removed, with relatively lower amounts of Pb, Al, and Ni. Iron plaque formation on the root was observed, which increased metal stabilization in root and lowered root to shoot metal translocation. Vetiver was tolerant of AMD, showing minimal change in biomass and plant growth. Results obtained are encouraging, and a large scale mesocosm study is now in progress, as the next step to develop the vetiver-based system for AMD treatment.

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Abbreviations

AMD:: Acid mine drainage
ANOVA:: Analysis of variance
DO:: Dissolved oxygen
EC:: Electric conductivity
FTWs:: Floating treatment wetlands
HSD:: Honest significant difference
ICP-MS:: Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry
IC:: Ion chromatography
RCRA:: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

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Acknowledgements

The Department of Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Grant No. S12AC20001 is acknowledged for funding this study. We thank Matthew Adler for supplying us with Tab-Simco AMD and Abhishek Roy-Chowdhury for analysis using the ICP-MS, along with Olivia Olsen and Venkataramana R. Pidatala for their assistance in the greenhouse and laboratory.

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Affiliations

Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
Jeffrey D. Kiiskila, Kailey A. Feuerstein & Rupali Datta
Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA
Dibyendu Sarkar

Authors

Jeffrey D. Kiiskila
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Dibyendu Sarkar
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Kailey A. Feuerstein
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Rupali Datta
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rupali Datta.

Additional information

Capsule: Vetiver grass improves water quality parameters in acid mine drainage.

Responsible editor: Elena Maestri

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Kiiskila, J.D., Sarkar, D., Feuerstein, K.A. et al. A preliminary study to design a floating treatment wetland for remediating acid mine drainage-impacted water using vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides). Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 27985–27993 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0401-8

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Received: 19 May 2017
Accepted: 02 October 2017
Published: 08 October 2017
Issue Date: December 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0401-8

Keywords

AMD
Hydroponic
Remediation
Translocation
Uptake
Vetiver