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<br />Biolo~i ical Degradation <br />A real poteni;ial appears to exist for cost effective cyanide <br />degradation by means of biological destruction accomplished by <br />microorganisms. `.iuch degradation has been shown to exist in seed <br />backfill operations and is currently being utilized by Homestake <br />Mining Co. at their Lend, South Dakota facility. <br />While cyanide, is commonly regarded as a toxic material, <br />certain naturally-occurring microorganisms are capable of <br />degrading cyanide'. These organisms can utilize the carbon as a <br />growth media and the nitrogen as a nutrient source, assuming <br />other environmental factors such as trace nutrient <br />concentrations, pH, and oxygen content are suitable. Several <br />operators have expressed an interest in the evaluation of the <br />feasibility of adjusting environmental factors within the bed to <br />allow for such microbiological degradation. An advanatage of <br />this technique would be that the organisms should remain in place <br />within the heap and be available to degrade cyanide diffusing <br />from the ore particles. <br />Written ey: Mr. Jim Rouse, Environmental Services International <br />