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Photoreduction and Photodegradation of Inorganic Pollutants: I. Cyanides

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Photocatalysis and Environment

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIC,volume 237))

Abstract

Pollution is the contamination of air, land and water with materials that detract from their ability to support the ecosystem or provide some human need. Human activities, industrial processes and agricultural usage of some of the materials are the big contributors to the pollution problems. Cyanide is ubiquitous in nature; however, the increasing use of cyanide in industrial processes (for example in the cyanadation process to extract noble metals from their ores, or the manufacturing of plastics, among others) finds a parallel in the increasing quantities of cyanide dispersed in the environment. Conventional means to dispose of CN- involve oxidation by chlorine/alkaline sol-solutions, chlorination, ozonation, and electrolysis. We discuss here two additional methods for detoxifying cyanide waste waters: (i) transformation of CN- to the less toxic SCN- form, and (ii) total degradation via oxidation with peroxides to give CO2 and NH3 (or N2).

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Author notes

  1. Enrico Borgarello

    Present address: EniRicerche, San Donato Milanese, Milano, Italia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Concordia University, 1455 deMaisonneuve Blvd. West, H3G 1M8, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Nick Serpone

  2. Dipartimento di Chimica Analitica, Universita di Torino, 5, Via Pietro Giuria, 10125, Torino, Italia

    Ezio Pelizzetti

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  1. Nick Serpone
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  2. Enrico Borgarello
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  3. Ezio Pelizzetti
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering of Processes and Materials, Engineering Faculty, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Mario Schiavello

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Serpone, N., Borgarello, E., Pelizzetti, E. (1988). Photoreduction and Photodegradation of Inorganic Pollutants: I. Cyanides. In: Schiavello, M. (eds) Photocatalysis and Environment. NATO ASI Series, vol 237. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3015-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3015-5_18

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