Problems and improvement methods of passive treatment systems for acid mine drainage in Korea

This study has been carried out to evaluate the passive treatment systems for acid mine drainage in Korea and to suggest, if possible, the method for the improvement. 35 passive treatment systems in 27 mines have been constructed since 1996. SAPS, being the main process, was combined with more than one of processes such as anaerobic wetland, aerobic wetland, and oxidation pond for the construction of passive treatment system. Problems observed during the operation include the poor sulfate removal ratio, overflow, leakage, unusabless of the whole system, and inefficiency. The reasons of the poor sulfate removal ratio are believed that the low temperature during the winter prohibits the SRB activity and HRT for bacterial sulfate reduction is insufficient. An alternative method In Adit Sulfate Reducing System which enables to keep the temperature constant at about $15^{\circ}C$ was suggested. IASRS is the methods of placing the SAPS inside the adit, which enables the temperature around the system constant can be maintained. The experiments using the laboratory scaled model systems made up of four sections showed high efficiencies in pH control and metal removal ratios, but showed still low sulfate removal ratio of about $23\%$ also with high COD at the beginning of the operation.