E-BIORE2MIN PROJECT

Abstract

Pollution caused in soil and surface and groundwater by waste from mining activities is among the main environmental concerns at the Spanish, European and global levels. Between the different types of mining, metal mining is especially worrisome due to the dispersion of toxic metals such as Pb, Cd, Zn, As, Cu, etc. and the generation, from the oxidation of the pyrite waste, of the so-called acidic mine drainage (AMD).

This project, named as 'Coupling of new biological and electrochemical technologies for the recovery of resources from metal mine wastes', proposes an innovative and sustainable approach to the solution of the environmental problem caused by mining waste. Its objective is the development of new combinations of biological and electrochemical technologies for the treatment of mine tailings (fine-grained mine waste) and AMD. This study does not only aim to decrease the hazards derived from waste but also the recovery of the resources contained therein, including metals and/or rare earth elements, reclaimed water, biomass and/or energy; that is, in line with the circular economy concept. The research will include the following technologies: (i) electro-bioleaching and electrokinetic-assisted phytoremediation for the treatment of mine tailings; and (ii) bioelectrochemical systems and constructed wetlands coupled to microbial fuel cells for AMD and the effluent from the electro-bioleaching.

This project is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation within the call Society Chellenges 2019 (PID2019-107282RB-I00). The time period of the project is June 2020 - May 2023.

Researchers

Senior researchers

LUIS RODRIGUEZ ROMERO
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

FRANCISCO JESÚS FERNÁNDEZ MORALES
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

JOSÉ VILLASEÑOR CAMACHO
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

JAVIER LLANOS LÓPEZ
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

MARTÍN MUÑOZ MORALES
Assistant professor of Chemical Engineering
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

FRANCISCO JAVIER LÓPEZ-BELLIDO GARRIDO
Associate professor of Plant Production
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

DAVID SÁNCHEZ RAMOS
Associate professor of Environmental Technology
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

Colaboradores externos

IGNACIO TOMÁS VAGAS CUCURELLA
Associate Professor of Environmental Technology
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

OMAR GONZÁLEZ PÉREZ
Assistant professor of Chemical Engineering
Universidad Nacional del Litoral-Conicet (Argentina)

Estudiantes de Doctorado

HASSAY LIZETH MEDINA DÍAZ
PhD student of the UCLM Doctoral Program on Environmental Chemistry and Engineering

IRENE ACOSTA HERNÁNDEZ
PhD student of the UCLM Doctoral Program on Environmental Chemistry and Engineering

YELITZA DELGADO GONZÁLEZ
PhD student of the UCLM Doctoral Program on Environmental Chemistry and Engineering

EPOS

Minas de Almadén y Arrayanes (MAYASA)

Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana

Sacyr

JCCM

Work packages

E-BIORE2MIN Project includes five Work Packages (WP), two of which correspond to the scientific and economical management of the project (WP1) and the management of the new scientific knowledge produced (WP2).WP1) y a la gestión y difusión del conocimiento científico generado (WP2).

The third Work Package (WP3) deals with the experimental study of electrokinetic-assisted phytoremediation (EKPR) and the electro-bioleaching (EKBL) applied to mine tailings. The objectives are, on one hand, the treatment of tailings in order to avoid the spreading of metals and therefore decreasing the environmental risk and, on the other hand, the recovery of metals and other resources from them.

The fourth Work Package (WP4) deals with the experimental study whose target is the treatment of the aqueous liquid currents from mining sites (raw AMD and the electro-bioleaching effluent from mine tailings) in order to recover resources, that is, metals and water reclamation. The treatments include the bioelectrochemical systems (BES) for the electrodeposition of metals on the cathode of the electrochemical cells, along with constructed wetlands working as microbial fuel cells (CW-MFC), for reclamation of water and power generation.

Lastly, the fifth Work Package (WP5) is the final step of the project and its main objective is to carry out an integral demonstrative treatment considering a complex real matrix under field conditions. It means working with real raw AMD in the case of both BES and CW-MFC technologies and the scaling-up of the techniques applied to mine tailings. Thus, this WP is mainly intended to study the feasibility of the technologies in more realistic conditions and, therefore, the future transfer of the technology.

Published papers

1. Leon-Fernández, LF, Medina-Díaz, HL, González, O, Rodríguez, L, Villaseñor, J, Fernández-Morales, FJ (2021) Acid mine drainage treatment and sequential metal recovery by means of bioelectrical technology. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology 96, 1543-1552. DOI: 10.1002/jctb.6669

2. Leon-Fernández, LF, Rodríguez, L, Fernández-Morales, FJ, Villaseñor, J, (2021) Modelling of a bioelectrochemical system for metal-polluted wastewater treatment and sequential metal recovery. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology 96, 2033-2041. DOI: 10.1002/jctb.6733

3. Delgado, Y, Fernández-Morales, FJ, Llanos, J (2021) An old technique with a promising future: recent advances in the use of electrodeposition for metal recovery. Molecules 26, 5525. DOI: 10.3390/molecules26185525

Conferences

1. Medina-Díaz H, Acosta I, Villaseñor J, López-Bellido FJ, Rodríguez L, Fernández-Morales FJ (2021) Bioleaching of metals from mine tailings by acclimatized mixed culture. Sustainable Minerals ‘21, Online, June 21-24. Oral presentation.

2. Delgado Y, Fernández-Morales FJ, Llanos J (2021) Modelization of Cu Recovery from Real Acid Mine Drainage with Coupled Energy Generation. 72nd Annual meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry. Online, Korea. Oral presentation.

3. Medina-Díaz HL, López-Bellido FJ, Alonso-Azcárate J, Fernández-Morales FJ, Villaseñor J, Rodríguez L (2022) Effect of direct and alternate Current in the phytoextraction of metals by Ryegrass from multi-metal mine tailings. Workshop Online “La década de la restauración de suelos”. March 14-18, México. Oral presentation.

4. Acosta I, Fernández-Morales FJ, Medina-Díaz HL, Rodríguez L, Villaseñor J (2022) Bioleaching of real mine tailings using autochthonous microorganisms: Effect of ultrasounds pretreatment. 8th European Bioremediation Conference (EBC-VIII). Chania, Crete, Greece, June 12-17. Oral presentation.

5. Medina-Díaz H, López-Bellido FJ, Alonso-Azcárate J, Villaseñor J, Rodríguez L (2022) Electrokinetic-assisted (AC and DC) phytoremediation of highly polluted multi-metal mine tailings using Lolium perenne. 8th European Bioremediation Conference (EBC-VIII). Chania, Crete, Greece, June 12-17. Oral presentation.

6. Acosta I, Medina-Díaz H, Delgado Y, López-Bellido FJ, Sánchez D, Villaseñor J (2022)Coupling acid mine drainage treatment and bioremediation of organic biowaster by means of constructed wetlands. 8th European Bioremediation Conference (EBC-VIII). Chania, Crete, Greece, June 12-17.

7. Delgado Y, Fernández-Morales FJ, Llanos J (2022) Treatment of Real Acid Mine Drainage for Metal and Energy Recovery by Electrodialysis and Bio-electrochemical Systems. XVI Young Science Symposium. Ciudad Real, Spain, June 22-24.