Finns Use Pig Slurry to Clean Polluted Pond
Date: 24-Jul-06
Country: FINLAND
Mining company Outokumpu dumped 450 cubic metres of pig slurry into the waste water near the closed Kangasjarvi mine, which once produced zinc, copper and sulphur.
"Pig slurry contains bacteria that bind metals that are in the mine water and they will sink to the bottom. We have used this system to clean mine waters at various mines", Eero Soininen, Outokumpu's mine reclamation manager, told Reuters.
"Around 15 years ago we noticed mine water got cleaned by itself at our Foldal mine in Norway. We studied the water and found bacteria that eat sulphides."
It takes around 2 to 4 years for sulphide-eating bacteria to get their job done.