Using microorganisms to clean up water pollution in SA
Using microorganisms within tailored bioprocesses is an essential part of the solution to optimise the processes involved in cleaning up industrial effluent waters.
University of Cape Town Centre for Bioprocess Engineering Research molecular biologist Dr Robert Huddy says improving bioprocesses is critically important to the state of water in South Africa.
Pollution from industries such as mining and agriculture, as well as human settlements, besides others, remained an area of concern in view of the significant drought and water shortages experienced, he said at a recent Café Scientifique event, a public science initiative sponsored by Spoor & Fisher.
“It is therefore critical that pollutants such as acid mine drainage are effectively addressed,” he asserted.
“As a result of various industrial processes, water gets contaminated with undesirable compounds. For example, in gold mining, processed water is polluted with cyanide and thiocyanate,” he told delegates during his presentation, titled ‘Waste Water Bioremediation: Turning Pollutants into Resources’.
“These toxic compounds are harmful to people, animals and the environment,” he said.
While there were various physical and chemical processes involved in cleaning this water, microorganisms, such as bacteria or fungi, could use their metabolism to remove dangerous compounds present in industrial effluents.
Comments
The
content
you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.
If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.
If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.
For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation