Comparative analysis of brewing wastewater and lactate as carbon sources for microbial community treating acid mine drainage in anaerobic MBBR systems

• Published in: Environmental technology 2021-11, Vol.42 (25), p.3955-3962
• Main Authors: Akinpelu, Enoch Akinbiyi, Ntwampe, Seteno K. O., Fosso-Kankeu, Elvis, Waanders, Frans
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acid mine drainage; Anaerobic microorganisms; Anaerobic treatment; Beryllium; Biofilms; Bioreactors; Breweries; Brewing; Brewing industry wastewaters; brewing wastewater; Calcium ions; Carbon; Carbon sources; Chemical oxygen demand; Comparative analysis; Copper; Environmental cleanup; Iron; lactate; Lactic acid; Lead; Magnesium; Microbiomes; Microorganisms; Mine drainage; moving-bed biofilm reactor; Oxygen consumption; Substrates; Sulfate reduction; Wastewater; Wastewater analysis; Zinc
• ISSN: 0959-3330; 1479-487X
• DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2020.1771431

This study investigated the effect of carbon sources (n = 2) on the performance of a microbial community in an anaerobic moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) treating acid mine drainage (AMD). The 1.5 L anaerobic MBBR was operated across a range of hydraulic retention times - HRT's (3-18 days), using different substrates, i.e. brewing wastewater and lactate as sole carbon sources and electron donors. Maximum sulphate reduction and chemical oxygen demand (COD) consumption rate was 21.94 and 24.28 mg L −1 h −1 , and 0.473 and 0.697 mg COD L −1 d −1 for brewing wastewater and lactate supplemented bioreactors, respectively, at an HRT of 3 days. The maximum COD/ ratio was found to be 2.564 in the bioreactor supplemented with brewing wastewater at an HRT of 15 days. The metal removal above 70% in the system supplemented with brewing wastewater followed the order; Be 2+  > Fe 2+  > Sr 2+  > Pb 2+  > Mg 2+  > Cu 2+  > Zn 2+  > Li 1+  > Ca 2+ in comparison to the system supplemented with lactate, Be 2+  > Fe 2+  > Sr 2+  > Mg 2+  > Cu 2+  > Li 1+  > Zn 2+  > Pb 2+ after an HRT of 18 days. Complete removal of beryllium (II) was observed irrespective of the carbon source used. The results clearly showed that brewing wastewater can be deployed as a nutritional supplement in environmental remediation of AMD.