High-Rate Sulfate Removal Coupled to Elemental Sulfur Production in Mining Process Waters Based on Membrane-Biofilm Technology.

ABSTRACT: It is anticipated that copper mining output will significantly increase over the next 20 years because of the more intensive use of copper in electricity-related technologies such as for transport and clean power generation, leading to a significant increase in the impacts on water resources if stricter regulations and as a result cleaner mining and processing technologies are not implemented. A key concern of discarded copper production process water is sulfate. In this study we aim to transform sulfate into sulfur in real mining process water. For that, we operate a sequential 2-step membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) system. We coupled a hydrogenotrophic MBfR (H₂-MBfR) for sulfate reduction to an oxidizing MBfR (O₂-MBfR) for oxidation of sulfide to elemental sulfur. A

SUBMITTER: Schwarz A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8942777 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature