Abstract: A beet juice treatment method in which reaction products are recycled. Beet juice is first prelimed with lime and CaCO.sub.3 to produce first and second juice fractions. The second fraction contains flocculated materials, and is combined with CO.sub.2. Solid flocs and calcium carbonate reaction products are removed from the second fraction. The second fraction and first fraction are then recombined to produce a third juice fraction which is combined with lime in a main liming stage for additional purification. The third fraction is then supplied with additional CO.sub.2 to generate a CaCO.sub.3 sludge product. The sludge product is divided into first and second portions. The first portion is reused in the preliming stage. The second portion is converted to regenerated lime for reuse in the main liming stage and possibly the preliming stage. These steps reduce waste production and provide economic benefits.

Abstract: A treatment system for removing metal ions from liquids. A metal ion-containing liquid (e.g. water or an acidic mining leachate) is first passed through a nanofiltration membrane system to produce a metal ion-rich retentate and a permeate. The retentate may be saved for metal recovery or discarded. To purify the permeate and remove residual metal ions therefrom, it may thereafter be passed through one or more columns containing metal ion-extracting materials. Specifically, the permeate is passed through at least one and preferably multiple columns filled with porous polymer beads having metal ion extracting agents therein (e.g. biomass materials). As a result, purified liquid is produced. When saturated with metal ions, each bead-containing column is successively cleaned with acid solutions.