| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4425264 | Environmental Pollution | 2011 | 7 Pages |
During 20 months of proper operation the full scale passive treatment in Mina Esperanza (SW Spain) produced around 100 mg/L of ferric iron in the aeration cascades, removing an average net acidity up to 1500 mg/L as CaCO3 and not having any significant clogging problem. Complete Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ti and V removal from the water was accomplished through almost the entire operation time while Fe removal ranged between 170 and 620 mg/L. The system operated at a mean inflow rate of 43 m3/day achieving an acid load reduction of 597 g·(m2 day)−1, more than 10 times higher than the generally accepted 40 g·(m2 day)−1 value commonly used as a passive treatment system designing criteria. The high performance achieved by the passive treatment system at Mina Esperanza demonstrates that this innovative treatment design is a simple, efficient and long lasting remediation option to treat highly polluted acid mine drainage.
► Novel reactive mixture enable 20 month of high hydraulic conductivity. ► Acid load reduction improved 10 times comparing to vertical flow wetland. ► High biotic and abiotic iron oxidation and removal. ► Complete Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ti and V water removal.
