Passive treatment of acid mine drainage: repeatability for sulphate reducing passive bioreactor column efficiency testing

摘要

This work presents an experimental method developed over the years to design, set-up, and operate columns that test sulphate reducing passive bioreactors (SRPBs) for acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment. Results obtained from identical columns with this experimental approach are presented and interpreted for their statistical validity. The statistical analysis was based on the "paired-difference test" which allows comparing two sets of data in pairs by looking at the difference between the two sets of data. The three series of data showed a good repeatability (data within a confidence interval of 95%) for pH, oxydoreduction potential, alkalinity, total iron and sulphate concentrations. Hence, duplicate or triplicate column tests are not systematically required for assessing the performance of SRPBs, if the columns are designed, set-up, and operated as proposed by the authors.