Buchans 1998 final report / prepared for Joint Venture Group at Buchans NFLD ASARCO INC. - Abitibi-Price Inc.

Abstract

The final report for the year 1998 consists of summary statements supported by data collected in the system. The Biological Polishing process selected for the Buchans waste water is based on the water chemistry of the mine waste effluents, and not on the biology. In fact, as the project developed over the past decade, the biological component of the waste water treatment process became relatively small. The algae/moss growth in the polishing ponds only serves two functions. The first function is to provide surface area for particulate collection, and the second function is to shift the distribution of the forms of inorganic carbon towards carbonate for zinc carbonate precipitation. Therefore, the waste water treatment has focused, over all these years, on the water chemistry.