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Biotreatment / Pollution Prevention |
PNNL/Battelle is developing technology to treat water contaminated with heavy metals such as uranium, chromium, and copper with microbial processes to directly reduce the metals into an insoluble form or to biologically produce sulfide to precipitate heavy metals. Cost-effective metal recovery and recycling technologies for process effluents from industries and mining are needed to meet rising environmental standards for water discharge and pollution prevention. A process has been developed for the bioprecipitation of uranium and is now ready for scale-up and field demonstration. Another bioprocessing application is being evaluated for use of extremophiles for nitrate reduction as a means to regenerate anion exchange resins or assist in the processing of concentrated waste water streams. Technology is also being developed for biogenic sulfide precipitation to recover and recycle metals from industrial process waste water streams. PNNL/Battelle is also developing technology for advanced aerobic water treatment using attached phased bioreactors coupled with a unique aeration technology. This system has the potential to increase plant capacity while minimizing the production of biosolids.