"Report submitted in fulfillment of Project number 14010FNQ and Contract number 14-12-859 under the sponsorship of the Water Quality Office, Environmental Protection Agency." Includes bibliographical references (pages 79-80).

Synthetic acid mine drainage (AMD) water was prepared by draining tap water through waste coal, and the resulting AMD was treated on a laboratory scale by an electrolytic oxidation process. Tests of fluidized bed, packed-bed, and annular flow prototype reactors demonstrated the packed-bed reactor to be most efficient. Oxidation of Fep2s to Fep3s takes place on a carbon electrode at a mass transport limited rate, while hydrogen evolution occurs on a polished 316 stainless steel cathode, limited by a slower electrochemical kinetic step. Preliminary economic analyses, using a packed-bed reactor are given. The electrolytic process is free from both the safety hazards associated with radio isotope-induced oxidation and the temperature dependence of biological oxidation methods.