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Biological and Chemical Selenium Removal from Precious Metals Solutions.

Altringer PB; Lien RH; Gardner KR

Ch 19 in Environmental Management for the 1990'S AIME 1991 :8 pages

10011745

The U.S. Bureau of Mines is investigating biological and chemical reduction of selenate and selenite from waste waters. A mixed bacterial culture, isolated from agricultural waters, removed selenium from four oxidized cyanide solutions from precious metals operations containing 0.6 to 30 ppm se and less than or equal to 3 ppm cn. Up to 85-pct selenium removal was attained using bacteria under controlled batch conditions in a 3-l stirred tank reactor and in small-scale continuous tests conducted in a rotating biological contactor (rbc). Fe(oh)2 reduction of the selenium reduced the effluent concentration to 0.02 Ppm se; however, the reagent costs were prohibitive. A final processing scheme may involve a combination of biological and chemical treatments.

19910101

OP;

1991

OP 122-91

SLRC;

Ch. 19 in Environmental Management for the 1990'S. AIME, 1991, PP. 135-142