ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses treatment of inorganic wastes with respect to the presently accepted technology, the state of biotechnology in treatment of each specific waste, and future possibilities of biotechnology for the amelioration of inorganic pollutants. A variety of reactor types can be used to contact a liquid effluent with a biological agent. Cyanide-containing wastes are produced by metal plating operations, gold mills, steel mills, and petrochemical and synthetic fuel plants. Both chemical and biological techniques have been used for the treatment of cyanide-containing wastes. Sequential ammonia oxidation and nitrate reduction reactions have been used to remove nitrogen from both municipal and industrial wastewaters. The groundwater in most areas of the world is contaminated to some degree with both organic and inorganic pollutants. Polluted groundwater can be treated by pumping it to the surface for treatment and subsequently discharging it either into the subsurface again or into surface waters.
