An investigation into the relationship between process kinetics and microbial community dynamics in a lactate-fed sulphidogenic CSTR as a function of residence time and sulphate loading

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (p. 183-212).The treatment of acid mine drainage and other sulphate-laden wastewaters usingbiological sulphate reduction technology has been shown to offer several advantages.This process effectively removes the following toxicants: sulphate, heavy metals andacidity. Previous studies have also revealed that the sub-process, sulphate reduction, isinfluenced by the choice of electron donor, constituents of the microbial populationmediating the process, the feed sulphate concentration and other operationalparameters. The current work investigated the potential of an ecological approach inthe treatment of sulphate-laden wastewaters. This was based on the relationshipbetween the structure and function of the sulphate-reducing bacterial population. Themain objective was to examine the effects of feed sulphate concentration andresidence time on the kinetics of biological sulphate reduction and the communitystructure of the microbial system involved