LEETOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey say a byproduct of acid mine drainage treatment may be able to help clean agricultural and municipal wastewaters.
The recently published study was done at the agency's Leetown Science Center in West Virginia. It shows that dried acid mine drainage sludge can be used as a low-cost adsorbent to remove phosphorus from wastewaters.
Acid mine drainage is produced whenever sulfide minerals from coal and metal deposits are exposed to air and moisture. The resulting acid and dissolved metals are toxic to most forms of aquatic life. The USGS says that untreated drainage has impacted more than 5,000 miles of streams in the Appalachian region, which has associated economic impacts of millions of lost dollars in the tourism and sport fishing industries.
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