Pilot-scale field reactors remediating acid mine drainage Metagenome. mine drainage metagenome

Acid mine drainage (AMD), a common environmental problem caused by mining activities, adversely impacts receiving watersheds, wildlife, and even public health due to its low pH and high concentration of toxic metals. Although passive treatment systems for acid mine drainage (AMD) have been extensively studied, little research has addressed the effect of changing environmental conditions on microbial communities associated with different substrate materials. In this study, 454 sequencing and qPCR were used to characterize the microbial communities in the three pilot-scale vertical flow ponds (VFPs) with different substrate combinations of crab shell (CS) and spent mushroom compost (SMC) for treating high risk AMD in central Pennsylvania. This study mainly investigated the establishment and adaptability of microbial communities and their relationship with AMD treatment efficiency in three of the pilot VFPs over the course of tests