GR1003552B - Biological disposal of oxalates - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and a system for the biological disposition of an oxalate, in which a biological reactor 10, which has an alkaliphilic, oxalate-cleaving, aerobe microorganism in liquid solution, is used. The biological reactor 10 includes a container 12, which contains the liquid solution, and has an outlet 14 for receiving the dissolved oxalate from the solution tank 24. Sodium oxalate 1, as a by-product of the Bayer method in an aluminum refinery, can be inserted into the solution tank 24, in solid form together with traces of metals and nutritional elements 3, for biological growth. The system operates as a procedure of continuous supply with dissolved oxalate pumped continuously from the tank 24 into the container 12, in controlled mode. The biological reactor 10 further includes an oxygen catheter 18, which includes an oxygen gauge 20 for controlling the level of the dissolved oxygen in the solution. The biological dissociation of the sodium oxalate into a highly alcaline solution is effected in the biological reactor, with sodium carbonate and bicarbonate formed, in the outflow, as final products. The outflow is then pumped into the combustion tank 28 and into the sedimentation tank 34 for converting the sodium carbonate and the bicarbonate, in the outflow, in usuful sodium hydroxide which can be recycled by the Bayer method. Also, a new alcaliphilic oxalate-cleaving aerobe microorganism of the species Bacillus is described.