Facultative-anaerobic microbial digestion of coal preparation waste and use of effluent solids to enhance plant growth i
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Facultative-anaerobic microbial digestion of coal preparation waste and use of effluent solids to enhance plant growth in a sandy soil Paul H. Fallgren1,2 • Liang Chen2,3 • Min Peng2 • Michael A. Urynowicz4 Song Jin1,4
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Received: 28 March 2020 / Revised: 26 August 2020 / Accepted: 15 October 2020 The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Coal preparation solid waste, which is a major environmental issue for coal-producing areas in China, may be microbiologically digested and transformed into a product suitable as a soil amendment to increase soil organic matter content and prevent and enhance plant/crop growth. Coal preparation waste collected from a coal sorting plant in Inner Mongolia, China was digested in bioreactors inoculated with microbial enrichments prepared from activated sludge and cow manure. The effluent solids from the coal preparation waste bioreactors were analyzed for their suitability as organic soil amendments, which complied with China standards. Plant growth tests were conducted in sandy soil from a semi-arid region in Colorado, which was amended with the effluent solids. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and chives (Allium schoenoprasum) were used as the representative plants for the growth tests, where results indicated substantially higher yields of Kentucky bluegrass and chives for the sandy soils amended with the effluent solids when compared to a commercial organic fertilizer. The number and average length of Kentucky bluegrass shoots were 10 and 5.1 times higher, respectively, in soils amended with the effluent solids. Similarly, the number and average length of chives shoots were 10 and 1.7 times higher, respectively, in soils amended with the effluent solids. Overall, the microbial digestion of coal preparation waste for application as an organic soil amendment is a viable alternative and beneficial use of coal preparation solid waste. Keywords Coal processing waste Coal washing slime Soil amendment Soil restoration Waste beneficiation Anaerobic digestion
1 Introduction
& Song Jin [email protected] 1
Advanced Environmental Technologies, LLC, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525, USA
2
Apaxfon Biosciences Technologies Co., Ltd, Baotou 014100, Inner Mongolia, China
3
School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
4
Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA
Coal industry waste, particularly wastes from coal preparation (washing), is a continuing environmental issue for coal producing areas in China. Coal preparation solid wastes are currently one of the largest industrial hazards in China in terms of land area and accumulation, which amplifies the environmental hazards associated with the wastes (Fu et al. 2012; Zhou et al. 2014; Li et al. 2015; Liang et al. 2016; Zhao and Luo 2017). To mitigate the accumulation of coal preparation waste, remedies development has primarily focused on beneficial reuse of the material, which includes uses in construction materials, zeolites, activated carbons, and a vari
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