Effect of Bactericides on Control of Acidification Pollution and Spontaneous Combustion of Coal Gangue Dumps in China and Its Mechanism

Zhenqi Hu, Qi Zhu, Jingjing Xu and Xue Zhang
Additional contact information
Zhenqi Hu: Institute of Land Reclamation and Ecological Restoration, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Qi Zhu: Institute of Land Reclamation and Ecological Restoration, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Jingjing Xu: School of Resources and Environment, Henan University of Engineering, Zhengzhou 451191, China
Xue Zhang: Institute of Land Reclamation and Ecological Restoration, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 17, 1-10

Abstract: Oxidation of pyrite in the coal gangue dumps usually results in acidification and spontaneous combustion, causing many environmental problems such as air, soil, and water pollution. The oxidizing bacteria exacerbate problems such as acidification, spontaneous combustion, and explosions. The bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was first separated and isolated from coal gangue samples. Bactericides such as Triclosan, Kathon (isothiazolinones), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were selected for our study. Our findings indicated that the addition of bactericide effectively inhibited the oxidation of Fe 2+ , preventing pH decreases and oxidation-reduction potential increases. We also investigated the bactericidal mechanisms employed by the three bactericides against A. ferrooxidans by conducting a protein flocculation test, scanning electron microscopy, and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We found that the specific inhibitory activities of the three bactericides differed. Kathon treatment caused A. ferrooxidans to release small amounts of proteins and lipids. A. ferrooxidans treated with Triclosan released small amounts of lipids and large amounts of plasmas. SDS caused the bacteria to release a large amount of proteins and lipids and degraded the surface structure of the cells, resulting in altered cell morphology.

Keywords: acid coal gangue dump; acidification pollution; bactericide; inhibition of oxidation; Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/17/6697/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/17/6697/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:6697-:d:400759

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().