Dear Justin,
A very interesting subject... indeed one that is deserving of a Paper
charting it's history to date.
I suppose it could be said that the earliest mine water treatment would be
the 'scrap iron exchange' tanks to 'catch' copper (as used at the Parys
Mountain Mine from an early date). Granted this was a commercial exercise to
obtain copper (& ochre as a by product), but it was a basic form of mine
water outfall purification all the same (electro-chemical I suppose it could
be said to be - by reaction anyway). The Coniston Copper Mine in the English
Lake District operated quite a large scale electro process for quite a
while, though this was primarily to recover copper from dump material. I know
this isn't really pertinent to the tech. level you are seeking, but I make
mention of it all the same.
You are now receiving comms. from people considerably more technically
skilled and experienced than I in this matter, and I will now watch this
subject with interest from the sidelines!
Regards, Bernard
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