In a significant stride towards sustainable mining, Clean TeQ Water has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited and StitchWise Pty Ltd to launch a commercial demonstration of its innovative ATA® Dewatering Technology. The demonstration will take place at Harmony Gold’s St Helena mine tailings storage facility in South Africa.
The initiative aims to showcase how Clean TeQ Water’s advanced ATA® Dewatering Technology can transform mine tailings management by optimising water recovery and reducing environmental impact. The ATA® system rapidly separates water and solids, producing stackable tailings and recycled water. Clean TeQ Water states: “Unlike traditional dewatering methods that rely on energy-intensive high-pressure filtration or mechanical evaporation, ATA® offers a simpler, more sustainable alternative while significantly lowering operational costs. In this, it is designed to address one of mining’s most pressing challenges – the efficient and sustainable management of tailings.”
The collaborative demonstration will leverage the specialised expertise of Clean TeQ Water and StitchWise’s capabilities in the implementation of tailings and backfill management solutions. StitchWise, a market leader in the South African backfill market, manages 65% of the total volume of backfill placed at all underground mines in the country. Clean TeQ Water secured their partnership with Stitchwise in February of 2023 and have since progressed several potential ATA® projects through testwork and piloting phases.
“This collaboration with Harmony Gold and Clean TeQ Water reinforces our ongoing dedication to promoting sustainability in South Africa’s mining industry,” says StitchWise Managing Director Vincent Prior. “We’re excited about the positive impact this project will have on Harmony Gold’s operational efficiency and environmental sustainability objectives.”
Following a successful testwork and pilot programme on Harmony Gold’s tailings in February 2024, the full-scale demonstration will be carried out under agreed-upon performance metrics. These include Rate of Rise, Dry Solids Concentration, In-situ Density, Drain Water Clarity, and Tailings Utilisation. The outcomes of this demonstration will serve as the basis for a decision to move forward with formal negotiations to establish a service level agreement utilising the ATA® Dewatering Technology.
This collaboration is more than just a technical trial – Clean TeQ Water says it represents a critical step toward more sustainable mining practices through technological innovation. “It highlights the growing recognition of ATA® as a viable solution for the mining industry’s complex tailings management challenges, transforming tailings from a major liability into valuable metals and reusable water.”
“Our successful piloting programme with Harmony Gold demonstrated that ATA® treatment allows for the use of ultra-fine tailings in underground backfill,” says Carien Spagnuolo, Head of Sales and Marketing at Clean TeQ Water. “We are thrilled to shift our focus now to a full-scale demonstration of the ATA® technology on surface tailings. This project marks an important advancement in optimising tailings utilisation.”
More updates on the demonstration and its outcomes will be shared as the project progresses, but the company says this LOI marks a pivotal moment for Clean TeQ Water and the broader mining industry, as companies seek to balance environmental stewardship with operational efficiency.
