Acid mine wastewater treatment: A scientometrics review

Acid mine wastewater, a major aquatic pollution, significantly impacts water, soils, ecosystems, and human health, drawing considerable research attention. Despite its significance, there lacks a comprehensive theoretical framework to understand its treatment studies and their evolving research emphasis. This paper presents a global scientometric analysis of 525 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database, spanning 2011–2022. Utilizing CiteSpace and ArcGIS, the study offers insights into future directions in this area. The findings highlight China's dominance in publication volume, largely credited to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with Lin Lian-Shin (USA) being the most prolific author recently. Key research areas include sulfate-reducing bacteria and constructed wetlands for acid mine wastewater treatment. This review synthesizes various treatment methods, evaluating their pros and cons, and potential for resource recovery. It suggests a future research pathway focused on multi-unit systematic co-treatment strategies that combine biological, physical, and chemical methods. Such approaches aim to effectively remove contaminants and facilitate resource reuse in acid mine wastewater treatment.