Assessing cellulolysis in passive treatment systems for mine drainage: a modified enzyme assay.

A modified cellulase enzyme assay was developed to monitor organic matter degradation in passive treatment systems for mine drainage. This fluorogenic substrate method facilitates assessment of exo-(1,4)-β-D-glucanase, endo-(1,4)-β-D-glucanase, and β-glucosidase, which compose an important cellulase enzyme system. The modified method was developed and refined using samples of organic carbon-amended mine tailings from field experiments where sulfate reduction was induced as a strategy for managing water quality.

Transport and attenuation of metal(loid)s in mine tailings amended with organic carbon: Column experiments.

A laboratory-scale column experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of organic carbon amendments on the mobility of As, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl and Zn in mine tailings. Three columns were packed with sulfide- and carbonate-rich tailings, which were amended with a 1:1 (vol.) mixture of peat and spent brewing grain at proportions of 0, 2 and 5vol.

Managing pore-water quality in mine tailings by inducing microbial sulfate reduction.

A field-scale experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential for inducing microbial sulfate reduction as a passive in situ technique for managing water quality in mine tailings deposits. Sulfide- and carbonate-rich minetailings, characterized by near-neutral pH pore water, were amended with < 1 dry wt. % organic carbon.