1. n. [Drilling Fluids]

A contraction of reduction-oxidation, a type of chemical reaction in which one reactant is reduced (gains electrons) while the other is oxidized (loses electrons). Examples of redox mud chemistry are

• sulfite anions to remove molecular oxygen
• sulfide removal by oxygen or peroxide
• air oxidation of lignite to create more humic acid
• sulfate reducing bacteria that generate sulfide ions by biological redox reactions
• chromate ions being converted to chromic ion in a mud system.

See related terms: chromate salt,  chromic salt,  equivalent weight,  lignite,  oxygen scavenger,  scavenger,  sulfate-reducing bacteria,  sulfide scavenger