Preliminary Screening of a Mining Operations Water for Use in Algal Biomass Production

Coal mining operations waters are a water resource that is increasingly needing to be sustainably managed for reuse. In addition to providing pretreatment of a mining water, algae biomass production can benefit from the availability and use of this water. A strategy for combining mining water management with an algal biomass growth process for potential production of algal-based bio-products is suggested. In this study the ability of algae to grow in a mining process water collected from the Xia Gou Mine was evaluated. Growth was favorable in mining water proportions between 10 and 40%, however growth was possible up to a 90% proportion of the mining water. The ability of algae biomass to remove dissolved solids during growth was also evaluated. Tests conducted in a mining water proportion of 50% under uncontrolled pH change conditions provided the opportunity for the growth of the algae to enhance the natural precipitation of dissolved solids and resulted in a dissolved solids reduction of 16.3%.