The Testing of the Capacity of an Acidophilic Consortium from an Old Mine Concerning the Elimination of Iron and Manganese from the Underground Waters

Abstract

During the potabilisation processes of underground waters, important quantities of energy are being consumed. In this study, the experimental results obtained at the testing of the elimination of iron and manganese capacity from acidophilic microorganisms consortium located on the gelatinous formations from an old no longer functional mine situated in the South-West of Romania in some underground waters is presented. The experiment was realized with experimental 3 liters plexiglass column pipes for a period of six days. During this time, the capacity of microorganisms consortium inoculated on a pumice stone to oxidize the manganese and iron reduced from the underground waters and to deposit them as insoluble compounds. The data have been compared to the ones from a witness column pipe that was filled up with a pumice stone with no microorganisms and which was only aerated. After every experiment, measurements of manganese and iron concentration from the raw drilling water, from the test effluent and from the witness column pipe have been done. SEM (scanning electronic microscopy) observations of the support pumice stone from the test and witness column pipes have also been realized. As a result of this laboratory experiment we can conclude that, in the same experimental conditions, for 25 minutes period, the iron was chemically and bio-chemically oxidized more rapidly than the manganese. The iron and manganese have been more rapidly oxidized by combined chemical and biological processes from the test column pipe than by chemical process only, from the witness column pipe.