Lucas Moore

Methods for removing selenium from aqueous systems

Selenium is among the list of oxyanions that lead to contamination in mining aqueous waste streams. Though the elemental forms are toxic, the aqueous oxyanions are more so. The most common forms of selenium released during mining processes are the aqueous forms, selenite and selenates. The common treatment technologies to date can be summed up in these major categories: media filtration, chemical treatment, and biomediated removal. These methods can often involve many expensive processing steps that may also be limited by variables such as total dissolved solids, presence of other ions, and ability to maintain microbial growth. We have developed an innovative chemical technology that can successfully reduce selenates to a level below the EPA recommendations. This new technology offers a unique and viable solution which is transparent to the above mentioned limitations.