The research goal was to reduce the concentration of selenium in mine impacted water. The research was done in collaboration with a coal mine in northern Canada. The project progressed from a proof of treat-ability study to the design of a pilot scale system.
The completed phases of the study include:
Performing a treat-ability study on the raw mine impacted water with a stationary batch scale reactor
Designing, building and testing a batch scale continuous flow through reactor
Performing a treat-ability study on the mine impacted water brine with same stationary batch scale reactor
Scaling reactor system intensity and volume, studied the reaction impacts.
Researching and designing a pilot scale flow through reactor
Responsibilities:
Coordinated lab schedule for 1-2 lab workers
Trained and guided new staff in lab procedures and safety
Compiled and presented designs and research results to industry partners
Optimized photocatalytic reaction conditions within design parameters using reaction data statistics
Modelled degradation of Selenate in mining wastewater through photocatalysis using MATLAB and ANSYS FLUENT
Designed and constructed a flow-through reaction system by re-outfitting an existing stationary batch-scale system
Collected experimental data by preparing reaction samples for acid digestion and conducting ICP analysis