Tag Archives: wastewater treatment

Decmil looks to enter water, power sectors with Avid Resources tie-up

Mining services, Water management, , ,

Decmil, in support of its overall strategy, has entered a strategic partnership with Avid Resources to further enhance its integrated service offerings and provide access to the water and power sectors.

Avid Resources is a multi-disciplinary business providing market-leading construction and maintenance for metals and minerals projects; end-to-end electrical, instrumentation and control solutions; and extensive design, civil, mechanical and electrical experience across water treatment plants and wastewater treatment facilities.

Through this strategic partnership, Decmil and Avid will be able to leverage their respective capabilities providing a fully integrated solution, Decmil says.

Avid says it has a proven track record of successfully delivering medium and large projects for the mining and process industries. Its capabilities include innovative modular construction solutions and integrated structural, mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation services.

ABB goes up a level with new LST200 measurement device

Communications in mining, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Water management, , , , , , ,

ABB has launched a new feature-rich ultrasonic level transmitter that, it says, is designed specifically for industries with large installed bases of level measurement devices, particularly water and wastewater treatment, which could find its way into the flotation process.

With its modular design and intelligent algorithms, the LST200 is easy to install, commission and maintain and stable in use, decreasing total expenditure over the product’s lifetime, according to the company.

“Commissioning the LST200 is easy thanks to a set-up menu that guides customers through configuration within one minute,” ABB says. “Operating the device is easy because the LST200 has a blue backlight that makes it highly visible even in strong sunlight or darkness in locations such as lagoons and settling ponds. Maintaining the device is easy because it offers real-time echo waveform and diagnostic messaging for efficient troubleshooting.”

High stability is achieved by a sophisticated algorithm that enables the LST200 to detect and automatically compensate for any instability in the strength of the ultrasonic signal. This makes the LST200 a good choice in process basins for aeration, chlorine contact, skimmer tanks, sedimentation, and flotation thickeners where there can be unstable surface echo from foam or turbulence, according to ABB.

An algorithm with noise filtering, meanwhile, makes the LST200 useful in wet wells, lift stations and pumping stations because it is immune to noise from heavy equipment such as variable speed drives. Temperature compensation is another key feature, with the LST200 offering reliable accuracy that is better than +/-3 mm or 0.25% of full span, ABB says.

Submersible in water, the LST200 can survive flooding. It has a waterproof rating of IP68 relevant for the water and wastewater industries.

“A non-contact instrument made from polycarbonate, it is resistant to process liquids such as mild acid and base, chloride and oxidiser, making the routine work for cleaning unnecessary,” ABB says. “For open channel flow measurement, built-in equations and supporting software prevents the need for any manual calculations, saving the user time and effort.”

Jack Wang, Global Product Manager for Ultrasonic Level Transmitters at ABB, says: “Thanks to its modular design, user-friendly interface and built-in intelligence, it meets our customers’ key requirements for ease and reliability when they are considering total expenditure on the device from purchasing, to installation and maintenance.”

BHP Olympic Dam looks for value in SciDev wastewater treatment solution

Base metals, Environmental, Metallurgy, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining services, Precious metals, Water management, , , , , , , , ,

SciDev has received a trial purchase order for its MaxiFlox chemistry from BHP’s Olympic Dam polymetallic mine, in South Australia, which will see the company transfer its waste processing expertise to the production side, Lewis Utting says.

Australia’s largest copper operation, Olympic Dam operates a fully integrated processing facility from ore to metal.

The SciDev trial, which includes an initial A$1 million ($717,526) purchase order for the MaxiFlox chemistry, reflecting about three months of consumption, is expected to start by the end of the year and last around six months. It will focus on the use of SciDev’s chemistries in the hydromet and concentrator sections of the processing plant, SciDev said.

SciDev’s South Australia-based staff will be on site to deliver the associated professional services.

SciDev Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Lewis Utting, said the order represented a significant opportunity for SciDev.

“The opportunity to transfer our chemistry and knowhow from the waste processing side directly to the production side of a mining operation reflects the potential for the company’s bespoke chemistries,” he said.

The Olympic Dam mine produced 171,600 t of copper cathode in the year to June 30, 2020, 7% higher than the same period a year earlier, alongside 145,972 oz of refined gold, 984,000 oz of silver and 3,678 t of uranium (all of which was from a concentrate).

MaxiFlox, meanwhile, is specifically designed for the treatment of wastewater across several industries, SciDev says. Products in the MaxiFlox range are supplied in both liquid and powder form across an extensive range of molecular weights and charge densities to solve industrial challenges.

The MaxiFlox chemistries are also being used in the tailings thickener at the Las Bambas copper mine, in Peru, following a trial purchase order from mine owner MMG.

BQE Water to install Selen-IX water treatment plant at US mine

Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining services, Water management, , , , , ,

BQE Water says it has entered into an engineering services agreement with Black & Veatch, an international engineering firm, for the design of a Selen-IX™ water treatment plant destined for a mine in the US.

The plant, at a scale larger than the currently constructed 6,400 m3/d Selen-IX treatment plant at Centerra Gold’s Kemess mine site in British Columbia, Canada, will remove selenium below three parts per billion limit at the end-of-pipe, the company said.

The plant will be designed to treat several thousand litres per minute of water on average and to adjust quickly to adapt to the changes in feed flow, according to BQE.

Jim Spenceley, VP Mining for Black & Veatch, said: “We recognise the value of BQE Water’s expertise in water treatment and the uniqueness of Selen-IX, which moves selenium control in the mining industry to a new level and enables important resource projects to be developed.

“The technological leadership of BQE Water, combined with Black & Veatch’s successful track record in delivering mission critical capital projects, matches perfectly the project requirements and we are excited to initiate the work jointly with BQE Water.”

David Kratochvil, President & CEO of BQE Water, said the ability of Selen-IX to remove selenium to levels below three parts per billion, coupled with the ability to quickly adapt to treatment requirements by fast turn-up and turn-down in terms of throughput, was key to signing this agreement.

“It also provides a platform for BQE Water and Black & Veatch to demonstrate to the mining industry our joint capabilities of delivering innovative water treatment solutions safely and cost effectively,” he added.

BQE Water successfully completed lab testing in 2019 that demonstrated the capability of Selen-IX to achieve the required water quality. The design of the water treatment plant is expected to be completed in the September quarter.

Selen-IX is a water treatment process technology that combines ion exchange and electro-reduction to remove selenium from large volumes of wastewater. As a purely physico-chemical process, it is insensitive to water temperature and is highly adaptable to variability in water flows and selenium levels, according to BQE Water. “The process fixes selenium into stable refractory non-hazardous solids suitable for co-disposal with tailings and potential offtake by steel producers,” the company said.

De.mem to take controlling stake in Germany-based wastewater treatment company

Environmental, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Water management, , , , ,

De.mem says it has signed a binding agreement to acquire 75% of the shares in Geutec Umwelt- und Abwassertechnik GmbH, an industrial wastewater treatment company based in Essen, Germany.

The A$915,000 ($620,140) cash deal provides a platform for De.mem to roll-out its membrane technologies into the German and European industrial wastewater treatment markets Geutec currently supplies wastewater treatment products and solutions to, the ASX-listed firm said. This includes small and medium sized companies and several multinational corporations from the heavy industrial, plating and metals processing industries.

Geutec’s solutions are based on a range of proprietary chemical formulations that have been developed and optimised over decades of operation, De.mem said. The manufacturing of these chemicals is performed in Germany but could eventually be expanded by De.mem into its Australia or Asia locations, the company noted.

Following the acquisition of Geutec, De.mem intends to set up a Chemicals Division across the group’s different locations so that it can intensify its sales efforts for water treatment chemicals based on the proprietary product range of Geutec. In addition to supplying mining, resources and heavy industrial sectors in Australia, there are strong opportunities also in Asia, with its large manufacturing sector, De.mem said.

The company said: “Geutec’s chemicals are highly complementary to De.mem’s innovative membrane-based water treatment products, the core of De.mem Group’s intellectual property.”

De.mem manufactures a range of hollow-fibre membrane technologies at its factories in Singapore and Australia. The membranes and membrane modules produced are the key components in many of the company’s turnkey water and wastewater treatment plants.

“There is strong demand from De.mem’s existing customer base for Geutec’s chemicals products,” De.mem said. “Chemicals such as coagulants and flocculants, cleaners and anti-scalants are often requested by customers in conjunction with membrane-based water treatment. Chemicals are also typically requested by customers as a follow-up to De.mem’s equipment sales.”

In Australia alone, De.mem has already sold around A$450,000 in chemicals over the 12 months ended June 30, 2019. But, to date, De.mem has limited its chemicals sales to a small number of mining and industrial sites because its chemicals have been supplied to De.mem by third parties.

“The acquisition of Geutec will not only allow De.mem to supply additional customers with a broader range of chemical products, but also to increase its margins in this segment,” it said.

Completion of the deal is subject to payment of the purchase price and expected within the next week, De.mem said. Immediately following the transaction, Geutec GmbH will be re-named De.mem-Geutec GmbH.

Andreas Kroell, CEO of De.mem Group, said: “The acquisition of Geutec GmbH provides a logical expansion of De.mem’s product range into the supply of industrial chemicals for water and wastewater treatment. Furthermore, the acquisition further diversifies our revenues and provides growth options in the German and European industrial wastewater treatment markets.”

Uwe Graessel, Founder, Owner and Managing Director of Geutec GmbH, said: “Our existing customers can benefit from the wider De.mem product offering and we look forward to supplying our innovative chemicals solutions to De.mem’s customers globally. We see significant opportunities given the extended range of products and capabilities.”

Goldcorp’s Éléonore gold mine cleans up its act with novel wastewater treatment

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining services, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , , ,

The latest winner of Goldcorp’s Global Excellence Awards 2019 to be featured in its online blog is the Éléonore gold mine and a novel system that proved its worth removing ammonia and residual cyanide by-products at the company’s Éléonore gold mine in Quebec, Canada.

Goldcorp said: “For any mining operation, effective wastewater treatment to remove contaminants is an indispensable step needed to minimise environmental impacts and maintain the mine’s social license to operate.

“When elevated concentrations of ammonia and residual cyanide by-products were detected in mill effluent at Éléonore, in 2014, the mill and environmental team took decisive action by introducing a novel wastewater treatment process that rectified the problem and secured Éléonore a Global Excellence Award for Sustainability Stewardship.”

Following Éléonore’s mill start-up in 2014, the new process water bleed (discharge) to water treatment plant (WTP) and paste backfill process resulted in increased concentrations of contaminants in water effluent, according to Goldcorp.

Even though the cause of the ammonia and residual cyanide toxicity couldn’t readily be identified, the Éléonore team immediately notified all major stakeholders, such as the Quebec Environment Ministry, Environment Canada and the Cree Nation Government – Environment Committee of Opinagow Collaboration Agreement, informing them on the extent of the problem and plans to rectify the situation.

France Trépanier, Environmental Coordinator at Goldcorp, said: “From the outset, we wanted to be very open and transparent with key stakeholders on steps we were taking to identify the source of the toxicity and plans to resolve the problem. Through ongoing dialogue and regular reporting, we were able to maintain a collaborative climate and establish strong partnerships based on mutual trust.”

During 2015 and 2016, the Éléonore team developed an action plan, investigated various water treatment options, and executed a series of projects including cyanide detox and leaching circuits optimisation to reduce effluent contamination, the company said.

The team also worked on mill water balance through its zero-bleed project with the objective of reducing contaminant process water discharge to the WTP, which involved reducing fresh water consumption by replacing water-sealed pumps used in the mill with mechanical seal pumps. “These projects increased control of process water contaminant concentration but didn’t resolve toxicity issues,” Goldcorp said.

A consultant working on the toxicity problem recommended the Éléonore team consider zeolite treatment and a Moving Bed Bacteria Reactor (MBBR) system to process wastewater effluent. Zeolite is a mineral well known for its ability to absorb a variety of heavy metals and ammonia. MBBR, more commonly used for municipal water treatment, is an activated bacteria aeration system, where bacteria collected on porous plastic carriers breaks down organic matter from wastewater, according to Goldcorp.

A pilot project found that zeolite treatment removed ammonia but did not eliminate the toxicity. MBBR, on the other hand, could remove ammonia and cyanide by-products delivering non-toxic results at low water temperatures (8°C).

In Spring 2016, the Quebec government granted approval for Éléonore to expand its water treatment plant by adding MBBR treatment while continuing to reduce its process water discharge to reach a zero-bleed operation.

Construction got underway in the fall of 2016, and the MBBR treatment plant was commissioned in May 2017.

“Energy efficiency was one of the critical plant design considerations to minimise heating requirements in winter,” Goldcorp said. “The addition of a heat exchange system and an insulated water circuit ensured that process water could feed the MBBR to keep the bacteria-activated treatment as stable as possible during cold winter months. Now, at the second winter, treatment is achieved without any heating at a temperature around 5°C.”

From concept to completion, Éléonore workers were kept up to date on the project’s progress through regular on-site presentations and stakeholders informed of the mine’s plans through monthly reports, quarterly presentations and site visits, the company said.

Trépanier said: “Consistent communication really enabled us to demonstrate how serious we were about solving this problem, which was essential in helping secure support for this project among stakeholders and regulators.”

Following the MBBR ramp up, Éléonore reduced ammonia and cyanide by-product concentrations in its effluent by more than 90% and was designated 100% in compliance with water quality regulations in October 2017. Since MBBR has been in steady operation, mandatory effluent sampling frequency returned from weekly to monthly.

The Éléonore team recently shared its experience in implementing this novel water treatment technology at a symposium on mining and the environment. Since then, it has received numerous enquiries from other mining companies and have hosted site visits to demonstrate the water treatment process, according to Goldcorp.

“There was a lot of people from different departments working on this project over the last two-and-a-half years,” Trépanier said. “It’s very gratifying to be recognised both externally and by our peers at Goldcorp for a successful outcome. We’re very happy to share what we’ve learned with other mining companies to help improve the industry’s environmental performance.”