Nature-Based Treatment of Polluted Waters

There are various approaches for using natural systems to improve water quality. With treatment wetlands and bioreactors of myriad designs, Strosnider has engaged ecology and natural materials in the treatment of various effluents, often working to leverage wastes as resources.

Co-Treatment of Municipal Wastewater and Mine Drainage

Municipal wastewater and mine water sources are commonly co-located and not treated in mining regions worldwide. Yet, each effluent has pollutants that can be useful as treatment catalysts for the other (i.e., municipal wastewater has elevated alkalinity, nutrient, and organic concentrations useful for mine drainage treatment while mine drainage has elevated metals useful for coagulation and flocculation of municipal wastewaters). We have pursued this potential in various configurations with collaborators at Saint Francis University, USGS, the University of Rhode Island, the University of Oklahoma, and Saint Vincent College. Please see the papers listed below for further information on this very promising approach to use wastes as mutual resources, saving energy, materials, and dollars in the process.

Mine Drainage Treatment

Untreated or poorly-treated mine water impacts ecosystems across all six inhabited continents. Passive treatment, an ecologically-based approach for mine drainage abatement, has been gaining traction as a more sustainable approach since the 1980s. However much remains to be understood and optimized concerning these systems. We have worked on the mechanisms and rates of limestone dissolution (Strosnider and Nairn, 2010), viability of various organic substrates for bioreactor applications (Santamaria et al., 2014), and flushing optimization (Tasker et al., 2024), among other topics. Please see the papers listed below for further information.

Treatment Wetlands for Municipal Wastewater

Treatment wetlands are a core ecological engineering solution that have been refined and diversified over the last half century. We have worked to better understand the internal spatiotemporal heterogeneity of municipal wastewater treatment wetlands (image left). Our work on constructed floating wetlands (link) fits under this umbrella as well.

Agricultural Water Management

In partnership with Clemson University (Sarah White) since 2016, Strosnider has pursued avenues for improved water management at specialty crop nurseries. Work has focused on phosphorus reclamation from runoff and reuse in potting media (White et al., 2021; Dekle et al. 2024) as well as pollutant processing in irrigation reservoirs.

Publications (*graduate student, undergraduate student, +postdoctoral author):

Bell NL*, LM Garcia Chance*, WHJ Strosnider, DR Hitchcock, JC Majsztrik, SA White (2026) Water quality dynamics of irrigation reservoirs in series at a production plant nursery. Agricultural Water Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110167
Roman B+, CA Cravotta III, CD Spellman Jr.*, WHJ Strosnider, JE Goodwill, T Tasker (2026) Enhanced phosphorus removal via cotreatment of mine drainage in municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Water Environment Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.70298
Dekle J*, WHJ Strosnider, SA White (2024) Phosphorus removal from irrigation return flow using an iron oxide filter and denitrifying pine bark bioreactor treatment train. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 31:66435-66444 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35641-4
Spellman Jr. CD*, ZT Burton, K Ikuma, WHJ Strosnider, TL Tasker, B Roman+, JE Goodwill (2024) Continuous co-treatment of mine drainage with municipal wastewater. Journal of Environmental Management 354:120282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120282
Tasker T+, B Roman, J Eckenrode, N Himes, H Warner, B Neely, C Denholm, W Strosnider, J LaBar+, T Danehy (2024) Batch operating limestone treatment systems (BOLTS): greater efficiency and cost savings. Reclamation Sciences. 1:63-72. https://doi.org/10.21000/RCSC-202300003
Hitchcock DR, NL Bell*, WHJ Strosnider, MC Smith (2022) Spatiotemporal water quality variability in a highly loaded surface flow wastewater treatment wetland. Journal of Environmental Quality 51:101-111. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20309
White SA, WHJ Strosnider, MEM Chase*, MA Schlautman (2021) Removal and reuse of phosphorus from plant nursery runoff with reclaimed iron oxides. Ecological Engineering 160:106153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2021.106153
Spellman C*, T Tasker+, JE Goodwill, WHJ Strosnider (2020) Potential implications of mine drainage and wastewater co-treatment on solids handling: a review. Journal of Environmental Engineering 146(11):0310010. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001814
Spellman C*, T Tasker+, WHJ Strosnider, J Goodwill (2020) Abatement of circumneutral mine drainage by co-treatment with secondary municipal wastewater. Journal of Environmental Management 271: 110982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110982
Goodwill JE, JA LaBar+, D Slovikosky, WHJ Strosnider (2019) Preliminary assessment of ferrate treatment of metals in acid mine drainage. Journal of Environmental Quality 48(5): 1549-1556. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2019.02.0079
Smyntek P+, JA Chastel, RAM Peer, E Anthony, J McCloskey, E Bach, RC Wagner, JZ Bandstra, WHJ Strosnider (2018) Assessment of sulfate and iron reduction rates during start-up for passive anaerobic co-treatment of acid mine drainage and sewage. Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis 18(1): 76-84. https://doi.org/10.1144/geochem2017-001
Smyntek PM+, RC Wagner, L Krometis, S Carvajal, T Wynn-Thompson, WHJ Strosnider (2017) Passive biological treatment of mine discharges to reduce conductivity: potential designs, challenges, and research needs. Journal of Environmental Quality 46: 1-9. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2016.06.0216
Strosnider WHJ, S Carvajal, F Llanos-López, RW Nairn, RAM Peer, BK Winfrey (2015) Análisis del co-tratamiento pasivo de aguas residuales municipales y drenaje acido de minas en Cerro Rico de Potosí, Bolivia. Avances en Ciencias e Ingeniería 6(2): 23-37. http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=323639772003
Peer RAM, JA LaBar*, BK Winfrey*, RW Nairn, FS Llanos López, WHJ Strosnider (2015) Removal of less commonly addressed metals via passive co-treatment. Journal of Environmental Quality 44(2): 704-710. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2014.08.0338
Winfrey BK*, RW Nairn, DR Tilley, WHJ Strosnider (2015) Emergy and carbon footprint analysis of the construction of passive and active treatment systems for net alkaline mine drainage. Mine Water and the Environment 34: 31-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10230-014-0304-6
Santamaria B*, WHJ Strosnider, MR Apaza Q, RW Nairn (2014) Evaluating locally available organic substrates for vertical flow passive treatment cells at Cerro Rico de Potosí, Bolivia. Environmental Earth Sciences 72:731-741. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2997-4
Strosnider WHJ, BK Winfrey*, RAM Peer, RW Nairn (2013) Passive co-treatment of acid mine drainage and sewage: Anaerobic incubation reveals a regeneration technique and further treatment possibilities. Ecological Engineering 61: 268-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2013.09.037
Strosnider WHJ, RW Nairn, RAM Peer, BK Winfrey* (2013) Passive co-treatment of Zn-rich acid mine drainage and raw municipal wastewater. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 125: 110-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2012.11.015
Strosnider WH, BK Winfrey*, RW Nairn (2011) Alkalinity generation in a novel multi-stage high-strength acid mine drainage and municipal wastewater passive co-treatment system. Mine Water and the Environment 30(1): 47-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10230-010-0124-2
Strosnider WHJ, BK Winfrey*, RW Nairn (2011) Novel passive co-treatment of acid mine drainage and municipal wastewater. Journal of Environmental Quality 40(1): 206-213. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/jeq2010.0176
Strosnider WH, BK Winfrey*, RW Nairn (2011) Biochemical oxygen demand and nutrient processing in a novel multi-stage raw municipal wastewater and acid mine drainage passive co-treatment system. Water Research 45: 1079-1086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2010.10.026
Strosnider WH, RW Nairn (2010) Effective passive treatment of high strength acid mine drainage and raw municipal wastewater in Potosí, Bolivia using simple incubations and limestone. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 105: 34-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2010.02.007
Winfrey BK*, WH Strosnider, RW Nairn, KA Strevett (2010) Highly effective reduction of fecal indicator bacteria counts in an ecologically-engineered acid mine drainage and municipal wastewater passive co-treatment system. Ecological Engineering 36(12): 1620-1626. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2010.06.025

Baruch Ecological Engineering Laboratory

Page updated

Report abuse