Chemical & Biological Engineering

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Chemical & Biological Engineering Our goal is to prepare students to use their knowledge and skills to contribute to society and their profession. We offer undergraduate degrees in both chemical engineering and bioengineering. The basis of both chemical and biological engineering is the useful transformation of matter from one form to another. That transformation can be brought about by direct chemical reactions, or chemical reactions mediated by living organisms. Right now, chemical and biological engineers can work in many of the same areas. That may change as bioengineering develops as a profession, but bioengineers are likely to work closely with chemical engineers for the foreseeable future.

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Author: search.filters.author.Barbour, S. Leesearch.filters.applied.f.department: search.filters.department.Chemical & Biological Engineering

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    Selenate bioreduction in a large in situ field trial
    (Elsevier BV, 2024-04) Hendry, M. Jim; Kirk, Lisa; Warner, Jeff; Shaw, Shannon; Peyton, Brent M.; Schmeling, Erin; Barbour, S. Lee
    Removing selenium (Se) from mine effluent is a common challenge. A long-term, in situ experiment was conducted to bioremediate large volumes (up to 7500 mc d−1) of Se(VI)-contaminated water (mean 87 μg L−1) by injecting the water into a saturated waste rock fill (SRF) at a coal mining operation in Elk Valley, British Columbia, Canada. To stimulate/maintain biofilm growth in the SRF, labile organic carbon (methanol) and nutrients were added to the water prior to its injection. A conservative tracer (Br−) was also added to track the migration of injected water across the SRF, identify wells with minimal dilution and used to quantify the extent of bioreduction. The evolution of the Se species through the SRF was monitored in time and space for 201 d. Selenium concentrations of <3.8 μg L−1 were attained in monitoring wells located 38 m from the injection wells after 114 to 141 d of operation. Concentrations of Se species in water samples from complementary long-term (351–498 d) column experiments using influent Se(VI) concentrations of 1.0 mg L−1 were consistent with the results of the in situ experiment. Solid samples collected at the completion of the column experiments confirmed the presence of indigenous Se-reducing bacteria and that the sequestered Se was present as insoluble Se(0), likely in Se-S ring compounds. Based on the success of this ongoing bioremediation experiment, this technology is being applied at other mine sites.
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