Coal degradation in anaerobic sediments associated with acid mine drainage

Acid mine drainage is a significant environmental hazard. Highly acidified water in affected sites causes a range of environmental issues including accumulation of heavy metals, loss of biodiversity and, particularly in sites with coal-mining history, greenhouse gas emissions. In acid mine drainage sites related to coal mining, methane and carbon dioxide are formed by the microbial decomposition of coal under anaerobic conditions. To date, much of the work on acid mine drainage has focused on the microbiology and biogeochemistry of the surface water, and little is known about the microbiological processes occurring in the anaerobic sediments associated with these environments. Therefore, to better understand these processes, we have used Illumina-based metagenomics to examine the microbial diversity of the anaerobic sediment zones in a coal-fueled acid mine drainage system in the Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia. The microbial community composition of these environments along with the physiological potential of the organisms in these communities will be discussed.