Biosorptive treatment of acid mine drainage: a review

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is the biggest environmental problem of water related to the mining industry in many countries. Recently, coal mining and mineral mining industries use various AMD treatment systems. The main problem, however, is the very expensive and long retention times for treatment of AMD. For this reason, biosorption technology has been tested recently as a promising method for AMD treatment. The authors review presently available or potential biosorption methods to remove and detoxify toxic heavy metals and organic pollutants from AMD. Biosorption technology is evolving as an attractive option to supplement conventional AMD treatment. However, a literature review indicates that there is a lack of studies examining biosorption of AMD treatment. This paper examines a range of subjects, including laboratory scale experiments and the commercial application of biosorption for treatment of AMD. Our review paper will help direct future studies on the development of biosorption technology for treating AMD.