Effect of Pyrite and Indigenous Bacteria on Electricity Generation Using Mine Tailings

Acid mine drainage (AMD) producing mine tailings can be beneficially recycled to generate electricity by applying fuel cell technology. Pyrite-containing mine tailings and indigenous bacteria from abandoned mine areas were used to construct fuel cells to investigate the effect of pyrite contents and the presence of iron-oxidizing bacteria. The results showed an enhanced electrical performance with a higher content of pyrite in mine tailings. The inoculation of the indigenous bacteria also enhanced the current density by about three times, and the power density by about 10 times. Overall, this study shows that the combined use of the ecological function of indigenous bacteria from mine areas and mine-tailings in fuel cells does not only contribute to reducing harmful effects of mine tailings but also generate electricity.