Veolia Water Technologies has been awarded a patent for the recirculation of sludge for its sulphate removal technology, LoSO4™ which is used primarily to treat wastewater from mining operations for discharge or reuse. The proprietary LoSO4™ process was developed by Veolia to respond to increasingly stringent regulations limiting sulphates in surface water discharges as well as increased mining industry interest in the reuse of mine water for beneficial purposes.

“Veolia has more than 350 patented technologies developed to conserve resources and optimise their use, while protecting their quality and efficiency throughout the usage cycle. This latest innovation has been designed to significantly improve the method to lower sulfate levels in mine water effluent below 100 mg/l, and generate a clean water effluent for reuse or discharge,” says Klaus Andersen, President of Veolia Water Technologies, Inc. The newly issued patent (US 9,278,875) specifically supports the crystal recovery/sludge recycling process of the LoSO4 technology and is the second patent related to this invention. This innovation separates aluminum-based crystals from the precipitated sludge of the LoSO4 technology to recycle them back into the system for reuse. “This new patented process enhances the efficiency of the LoSO4 system by capturing approximately 95% of crystals from the sludge and recycles them to be reused in the system,” according to Chuck Blumenschein—a co-inventor of the LoSO4 technology. He adds, “this process boosts crystal growth which improves the removal of sulpate and other solids from the wastewater stream.”