Abstract: A process for treating aqueous effluents that contain at least one ether, preferably ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) and/or methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and/or tert-amylmethylether (TAME) to reduce the concentration of said ether is described, characterized in that in the presence of a growth substrate, at least one bacterium that is selected from the group that is formed by Gordona terrae CIP I-1889 and Rhodococcus equi CIP I-2053 is grown in aerobic conditions, and the ether that is contained in the effluents is degraded in the presence of the substrate by the biomass of the bacteria that are thus produced.

Abstract: In a process for recovering zinc from residues containing it, particularly rom ashes and hard-spelters coming from galvanizing baths, and which comprises the extraction by electrolysis of the zinc contained in the alkaline or acid solutions obtained. The solutions deriving from the ashes are obtained by dissolving their relatively low metallic zinc content granulometric fraction, the high metallic zinc content granulometric fraction of these ashes being re-introduced directly into the galvanizing bath advantageously after a leaching treatment and the solutions deriving from the hard-spelters are obtained by dissolving them either by having recourse to a corrosion cell or by forming by means of these hard-spelters the anodes of an electrolysis circuit.