Template for technology evaluation

1. Introduction

2. Description of the technology, method, concept, etc.

  • Description
  • Development stage, links to cases

3. Appropriate applications (suitability, benefits/barriers)

  • Advantages
  • Disadvantages

4. Performance

  • Capacity
  • Maintenance needs
  • Environmental cost aspects

5. Design requirements (incl. Specialrequirements in Nordiccond.)

  • Site specific data needs
  • Requirements for the materials and appliances
  • Minimisation / treatment of potential discharges
  • Monitoring / control needs
  • Howabout: Techonological maturity?
    • Proven and documented applications, successes and failures
    • Initial faults that have been detected and corrected
    • Ease of use for non-experts

6. References

(Example: Open mineshaftbioreactors)

1. Description of the technology, method or concept (Treatment mechanism)

  • Description:

Relies on addition of carbon source and bacterial strain to promote bacterially mediated sulphate reduction, for example manure, waste water sludge, compost; Bacterial activity raises alkalinity and promotes metal sulphide precipitation

  • Development stage, links to cases

2. Appropriate applications (Application area)

Acidic mine waters with SO4<sup>2<sup/>-> 300mgL<sup>-1<sup/>, reducing conditions, no oxygen leakage to the mineshaft

Advantages

  • Mine waters treated efficiently before release into ambient environment, Low cost; Low monitoring? and management requirements

Disadvantages

  • Mineshaft needs to be sufficiently deep, Effectiveness sensitive to temperature and compositional fluctuations, slow start-up of the process (may need 2-3 years);

3. Performance

  • (Treatment) Capacity:   Metal and sulphate removal rates
  • Maintenance needs
  • Environmental and cost aspects:   Potential discharges of nutrients, sedimentation of precipitates; stability of precipitates  factors affecting the stability; cost

4. Design requirements

  • Site specific data needs:   Waterflows to mineshaft, adaptation to peakfloods and fluctuations
  • Requirements for the materials:   The substrate, need of pH regulation, temperature/adaptation of bacteria to cold conditions;

and appliances:

  • Minimisation / treatment of potential discharges: Nutrient discharges
  • Monitoring/control needs

5. References

  + figures, tables ==