Acid mine drainage attenuation by inhibition of pyrite bioleaching using limestone and olive pomace

The control and inhibition of pyrite bioleaching involved in the generation of acid mine drainage was studied. Inhibition of pyrite bioleaching was performed by varying the pyrite concentration in the medium (substrate inhibition) and/or by addition of limestone (inhibition by pH increase) and olive pomace (inhibition by organic compounds). Inhibition tests of pyrite bioleaching were performed according to a full factorial design with three factors (pyrite, limestone and olive pomace) taken at two levels. Preliminary pyrite bioleaching tests showed the ability of the available inoculum to oxidise the mineral. Subsequently, experimental data for total soluble iron denoted strong inhibition under all the different operating conditions of the factorial design, except when larger pyrite concentrations were used. In particular, inhibition by limestone was due to the increase in pH which negatively affects microorganisms, while inhibition by olive pomace may be related to the antioxidant properties of polyphenols. Interactions among operating conditions were specifically assessed by analysis of variance. Only limestone and/or pomace addition resulted in a significant (95%) diminution of iron extraction.