Laboratory simulation of the swampy forest system for the passive treatment of acid mine drainage in coal mine reclamation areas

Abstract

Coal mining that applies the open pit method has the potential to generate acid mine drainage. Acid mine drainage (AMD) treatments must include processes to mitigate significant challenges; these treatments include active treatment with high costs and process uncertainty and passive treatment with its limitations. The new concept of the swampy forest system involves the development of passive treatment for AMD, which lowers costs, increases capacity, and provides a natural process to mitigate the AMD that has been generated. A laboratory simulation experiment was carried out to obtain the basic data required for the swampy forest system treatment. The basic reference data determined in this study, including the total volume of water, the water debt flows into the swampy forest scale laboratory system and the retention time, were obtained to bring the parameter values that failed to meet the quality standards into compliance, according to the applicable regulations. The AMD swampy forest treatment design in the pilot project at the treatment field can apply a scaled-up version of the basic data from the simulation laboratory experiment results.