Acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment by neutralization: Evaluation of physical-chemical performance and ecotoxicological effects on zebrafish (Danio rerio) development

Abstract

Acid mine drainage (AMD) represents a major problem in the mining industry worldwide due to the risk of water and soil pollution. Its active treatment involves the addition of alkaline reagents such as NaOH or Ca(OH)2 to increase the pH and precipitate the dissolved metals, although substantial amounts of dissolved ions might persists. Under a remediation approach, the aim of this work was to assess the chemical and physical characteristics of treated effluent and to evaluate its ecotoxicological effects on zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryonic and larval stages, through developmental, functional, morphological, and behavioral end-points. The studied AMD sample, highly associated with pyrite, presented high sulfate and dissolved metal ions content and was submitted to the following treatment conditions: NaOH - pH 7.0 and 8.7, and Ca(OH)2 - pH 7.0 and 8.7. All neutralizing treatments resulted in a satisfactory reduction of the metals concentration, with best results achieved using Ca(OH)2 at pH 8.7; although Mn and As still remained above or very near the discharge maximum limits according to Brazilian legislation. Therefore, an additional step was employed to Mn and As adsorption by algal biomass. Regarding in-vivo toxicological assays, no significant lethality was recorded in all treated AMD groups, although adverse effects were observed in all endpoints analyzed. Ca(OH)2 groups performed closer to control than NaOH-treated groups. The additional polishing stage treatment with the algae Scenesmus sp. allowed tenuous improvements in terms of removal of residual amounts of As and Mn but not in the toxicological characteristics of treated AMD.