Bioremediation of acid mine drainage – Review

Abstract

Pollution is a major threat to the sustainability of the ecosystem. The rapid increase in environmental pollution is a current problem of great concern, affecting the livelihood of land and water dwellers. This can be attributed to anthropogenic and industrial activities, including mining, which often leads to the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD), considered one of the most catastrophic ecological problems. Soil and water use for domestic and industrial purposes has been drastically affected, highlighting the urgent need for remediation. The use of physical, chemical, physicochemical, and thermal methods in the treatment of AMD contamination has been criticized because some of these methods are not environmentally friendly and others result in site recontamination. Bioremediation involves the use of microorganisms to degrade contaminants in a controlled environment. This study critically reviewed various bioremediation methods for the treatment of AMD contamination, factors influencing the application of these methods, cost-benefit and environmental impact analyses, challenges, and prospects of bioremediation technologies for effective treatment. The study shows that bioremediation have proven effective and can serve as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for the remediation of AMD contaminated sites. However, large-scale application remains a challenge. Research is still needed to optimize and develop bioremediation technologies capable of remediating sites with complex mixtures of contaminants that are not evenly distributed in the environment.

Keywords

• Acid mine drainage
• Bioaugmentation
• Biostimulation
• Heavy metal speciation
• Sulfate reducing bacteria