Development of the annamox process for the removal of ammonia from mining effluents

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Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. is a senior Canadian gold mining company with exploration and development**activities in Canada since 1957. The extract and recovery of gold from ores processes produce wastewater high**in cyanide compounds and sulfate- and nitrogen-based contaminants. Currently, the wastewater is treated with**a series of chemical and biological processes but cannot meet mining effluent regulations due to the complexity**and toxicity of such contaminants. A biological nitrogen removal technology (BioCAST) based on a recently**discovered process, known as combined partial nitrification and anammox, can potentially be used to remove**the remaining nitrogen from the wastewater to support the company in the effective treatment of**nitrogen-contaminated wastewater. The main objectives are to investigate the potential application of this**technology for the treatment of nitrogen-contaminated wastewater and (2) to assess the effect of wastewater on**the microbial communities using 16S rRNA. The pilot tests will be conducted in two phases (a two-month**followed by a four-month phase) characterized by the nitrogen concentrations of the wastewater (sample 1;**effluent after the chemical treatment processes and the first step of the biological treatment of the existing**WWTP, sample 2; effluent right after the chemical treatment) and the BioCAST reactor operating parameters.**The development of PN/Anammox-based technology in this project will lead to a sustainable and economically**viable nitrogen removal from gold mine wastewater in Canada.