Development and Optimization of an Eco-Engineered Bioreactor System to Treat Mining Influenced Waters

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After a precious metal mine closes, the mining company is responsible for the site's long-term environmental management, which includes treatment of contaminated waters. Most Canadian mines use a traditional wastewater treatment plant to treat contaminated waters. The treatment plants are costly to run, energy-intensive, and are not environmentally sustainable. The primary objective of this research study is to complete the detailed design of a natural, long-term, low-energy wastewater treatment method tailored to treat a specific former Ontario gold mine site's contaminated waters and then evaluate and optimize a larger-scale system. Once the researchers at Fleming College's Centre for Advancement of Water and Wastewater Technologies (CAWT) complete the specific design, chemistry, and calibrations required, they will install and build a system on the mine site. CAWT researchers will evaluate the system's ability to treat the mine's contaminated waters in a "real world" environment and through seasonal variations. As a result, the mining company will be able to evaluate the system over several years with a goal to replace their costly wastewater treatment plant with a full-scale sustainable alternative. This research will contribute significantly to new knowledge in the field of eco-engineered bioreactors, especially as they are used to treat mining influenced waters. It will also provide the mining company with a sustainable eco-technology that they can implement at their mine sites globally.**