Bioremediation of mining-impacted water through combining microbes to enhance metal and nitrogen-based compounds removal

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The Centre Technologique des Résidus Industriels (CTRI) affiliated to the College of Abitibi-Temiscamingue collaborates with Probioshpere Inc. to modify and integrate a novel biological approach for ammonia-based compounds (NBCs) treatment in a real gold mine effluent. Preliminary tests at lab-scale using Membrane Bio-Reactor (MBR) were carried out through NSERC's Engage Grant 544634-19 and promising results as ammonia (NH4+) and COD removal at room temperature using Archaea and nitrifying bacteria were observed with a removal efficiency up to 95% (using Probiosphere's commercialized bacterial consortium). However, the MBR configuration wasn't suitable for a full exploitation of the bacterial potential. In fact, decreasing hydraulic retention time (HRT) less than 24 hours brought up a membrane fowling problem due to high total suspended solids (TSS). Modification of the MBR reactor to be adapted to a real pilot scale conditions (high flow and low HRT) and installing the new configuration in a mine site for a pilot tests will be a great opportunity to evaluate, validate and optimize bacterial efficiency in real conditions and at lower temperatures.This project is critical for validation and subsequent commercialization of Probiosphere Inc. bacterial consortium for treating mine effluents in Quebec and Canada and will, at the same time, offer to CTRI an opportunity to strengthen its expertise in this research field.