[Effect of Zn(II) on microbial activity in anaerobic acid mine drainage treatment system with biomass as carbon...

In this study, with rape straw as carbon source, anaerobic batch experiments were executed to investigate the effect of Zn (II) on the activity of sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) in the microbial treatment of simulative acid mine drainage (AMD). The results showed that during the 60 experimental days, when initial Zn2+ concentrations were in the range of 73.7 to 196.8 mg x L(-1), SRB had high culturalbility. At the end of these experiments, pH values rose from initial 5.0 to neutral, about 96% of sulphate was reduced and the concentrations of Zn2+ reduced to 0.05 mg x L(-1). The results of Tessier sequential extraction, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) showed that Zn was found to be fixed through forming organic and sulphide (mainly sphalerite) compounds. For the experiment with high Zn2+ concentration (262.97 mg x L(-1)), at the end of experiments, pH values dropped from initial 5.0 to 4.0, only 27% of sulphate was only reduced and the concentrations of Zn2+ kept in high range (25 mg x L(-1)), the activity of SRB significantly inhibited. This study indicated that: (1) Rape straw can be used as slow-release carbon source for long-term anaerobic AMD treatment; (2) Rape straw can decrease the toxicity of Zn2+ to SRB through adsorption; (3) In anaerobic AMD treatment system, Zn can be fixed by sulphide minerals with mediation of SRB.