Apparatus for purifying a liquid effluent containing pollutants

An apparatus for the purification of liquid effluent containing pollutants, particularly metals and/or radionuclides, the apparatus comprising:

• a confinement enclosure for receiving cells of microorganisms able to trap the pollutants;
• means for introducing the effluent to be treated into said enclosure;
• means for circulating said effluent through said enclosure;
• and
• means for sampling the treated, liquid effluent and means for sampling the pollutants;
• wherein:
• the micro-organism cells are living photosynthetic cells immobilized on a support which at least partly occupies an interior of the enclosure and is traversed by the effluent to be treated, the enclosure comprising walls such that the walls of the enclosure and the support of the cells are made from a material which is transparent to light rays;
• the apparatus further comprising:
• means for introducing CO.sub.2 into the enclosure;
• means for introducing and means for circulating a liquid nutrient culture medium through said support, the circulating means for the effluent and the circulating means for the culture medium incorporating an injector connected to an air reservoir and to a CO.sub.2 reservoir and permitting an injection of air bubbles containing CO.sub.2 into a lower part of the enclosure;
• and
• connected in series, a sensor for measuring a pH within a confinement enclosure, a pH analyzer, a pH regulator and a valve acting on the CO.sub.2 reservoir, so as to control a release of CO.sub.2 within said enclosure.