It’s a recycler’s dream: Take one unwanted—in fact, dangerous—waste substance, turn it into something that treats another harmful waste substance, and then potentially reuse the end product from that process to create a much-needed commodity.
Scientists from the US Geological Survey may have found a way to do just that. A recent study shows that a byproduct from the treatment of acid mine drainage can be used to remove phosphorus—a major pollutant of surface waters—from agricultural and urban wastewater.
According to a USGS press release on the process, “Acid mine drainage is produced whenever sulfide minerals associated with coal and metal deposits are exposed to air and moisture. The resulting acid and dissolved metals are toxic to most forms of aquatic life, and untreated acid mine drainage has impacted more than 5000 miles of streams in the Appalachian region, with associated economic impacts of millions of lost dollars in the tourism and sport fishing industries.”
The sludgy leftover from treating the acid mine drainage contains high levels of iron and acts as an adsorbent, removing phosphorus from wastewater. And there’s more: Once that’s accomplished, the adsorbed phosphorus can be stripped out and used to manufacture fertilizers.
One thing those of us concerned with water quality don’t discuss very often is a phosphorus shortage; we’re usually more worried about excess amounts of it, and other nutrients, making their way into water bodies and leading to algae blooms, depleted oxygen levels, and all the associated problems that come with them. But according to the USGS, phosphorus deposits are being depleted, raising the possibility of future shortages for making fertilizer.
Again from the press release: “’As environmental scientists, we kind of hesitate to use this analogy, but it really is like killing two birds with one stone,’ says Philip Sibrell, lead author of the study. ‘This new technology could reduce or eliminate the need to dispose of acid mine drainage sludge, instead making that same sludge useful in addressing the urgent need to reduce the amount of phosphorus going into aquatic ecosystems; it’s a win-win situation.’”
The report was published in the September issue of Water, Air, and Soil Pollution.
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