Tag Archives: water management

ANDRITZ pumps draining flooded mining tunnels in South Africa

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, Water management, , , , , , , ,

Just as IM’s water management feature goes live, ANDRITZ has released details of a project it has been working on to de-water old mines in Johannesburg, South Africa.

South Africa has been dealing with an acid water problem in recent years. Underneath the old gold mining city of Johannesburg is a lake containing heavily contaminated water, which spreads horizontally and vertically into the abandoned pits of the former gold mines, according to ANDRITZ.

The water line has reached a critically high level, as determined by the specialists from the ANDRITZ subsidiary, ANDRITZ Ritz, in Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany, which was given the first order to drain the mine water back in 2010.

The execution of the project was delayed by four years, however, and it was only in Spring 2014 that two powerful ANDRITZ submersible motor pumps were installed in the middle of Johannesburg city centre, in the so-called ‘Central Basin’. Each pump is capable of bringing 1,500 m³/h (1.5 million litres per hour) of water to the surface, according to ANDRITZ; with 60 million litres of water per day pump, it is a never-ending task, ANDRITZ said.

“In Johannesburg, however, acid mine water is an ongoing problem. Rainwater seeps into the tunnels and reacts chemically with residual minerals like pyrite, producing corrosive sulphuric acids. In the worst case scenario, this can result in a pH value of 2, which is enough to cause lasting damage to humans and the environment.

“Because of this corrosive acid, the Johannesburg pumps had to be completely redesigned. The design is based on ANDRITZ’s proven HDM (Heavy Duty Mining) technology, which uses the concept of a double-suction pump. The thrusts produced are offset by the counter-rotating arrangement of the impellers and the pumps run without axial thrust, giving a properly maintained pump a service life of 10 to 15 years.”

The pumps for the Johannesburg project are a tailor-made, customised design built for this special individual application, according to ANDRITZ. Part of the new system is an encapsulation of the submersible motors (see top photo), which enables the creation of an internal pressure higher than the external pressure. This prevents the intrusion of the corrosive water and the components inside the motor being attacked and possibly destroyed. “At the same time, the water being drained is used to cool the motor by means of a heat exchanger,” ANDRITZ said.

ANDRITZ engineers spent weeks developing the sophisticated technology needed to encapsulate the motor so it could withstand the higher internal pressure. The first two pumps have been running since June 2014. These 21-t pumps, each 15 m long with a 1-m diameter, were installed side by side in March, 5 m apart, but could only be started after completion of the water treatment plant.

Freely suspended on 430-m-long duplex steel pipes, they transport the acid mine water to the surface and onwards into an adjacent treatment plant (pictured). Here, through the addition of lime, the pH value is raised, the acid is neutralised and the heavy metals dissolved in the water are absorbed and precipitated as hydroxides, ANDRITZ said.

The South African authorities are planning a total of three pumping stations, which will each be developed at the mines’ disused extraction shafts. In addition to the Central Basin in Johannesburg’s city centre, invitations to tender for the ‘Eastern Basin’ and the ‘Western Basin’ are currently in progress, according to ANDRITZ.

“The long-term goal is to force the water level in the flooded mines back from its current level of approximately 200 m to a depth of 1,000 m, and to keep it there, to then be able to begin mining gold and gold ore in the drained upper layers of the mines once again,” the company said.

Teck sees big future for saturated rock fill water treatment technology

Coal technology, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, Water management, , , , , , , , ,

Teck Resources says the results from a saturated rock fill (SRF) project at its Elkview coal operations in British Columbia, Canada, show the technology has the potential to replace future active water treatment facilities (AWTF) and, further, reduce capital and operating costs for water treatment.

In 2018, the company successfully operated its first SRF project at Elkview, which has now been working for the past 12 months and “is demonstrating near-complete removal of nitrate and selenium from the feed water”, Teck reported in its 2018 financial results.

With the full-scale trial showing promising results, Teck is working to increase the capacity of the Elkview SRF to potentially reduce reliance on active water treatment, it said.

This approach has not yet received the necessary approvals and Teck said it continues to progress the construction of additional AWTFs to comply with the measures required by the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan, an area-based management plan approved in 2014 by the British Columbia Minister of Environment.

The plan establishes short-, medium- and long-term water quality targets for selenium, nitrate, sulphate and cadmium to protect the environment and human health, as well as a plan to manage calcite formation. In accordance with the plan, Teck has constructed and is operating the first AWTF at West Line Creek.

In the December quarter, Teck commissioned an additional treatment step to address an issue regarding selenium compounds in effluent from the West Line Creek AWTF. The facility is now operating as designed and the company has commenced construction on its next AWTF at Fording River Operations, which will use the same treatment process as the modified West Line Creek AWTF.

Teck said capital spending on water treatment in 2019 is expected to be approximately C$235 million ($178 million), including advancing a clean water diversion at Fording River, application of SRF technology at Elkview, construction of Fording River AWTF South, and advancing management of calcite and the early development of water treatment for Fording River North. “This compares to approximately C$57 million of capital spending on water treatment in 2018,” Teck said.

The company continued: “In our previous guidance, we estimated total capital spending for water treatment between 2018 and 2022 of C$850-900 million. We intend to complete construction of the Fording River South AWTF, currently under construction.

“If we are successful in permitting SRF projects to replace the Elkview AWTF and Fording River North AWTF, we estimate that total capital spending on water treatment during this period would reduce to C$600-650 million. If no reduction in AWTF capacity is permitted, overall capital in the same period would increase by approximately C$250 million over our previous guidance, as a result of engineering scope changes at the Elkview AWTF and an increased volume of water treated at Fording River North.”

Teck said it had presented regulators with evidence that SRFs are a viable technical alternative to active water treatment, and is working through a review process. “We expect that this process will result in a decision in the first half of 2019,” it said.

In the meantime, Teck continues to advance research and development, including the SRF technology.

“We estimate that over the longer term, SRFs will have capital and operating costs that are 20% and 50%, respectively, of AWTFs of similar capacity. If we are successful in replacing a substantial portion of active water treatment capacity with SRFs, we believe that our long-term operating costs associated with water treatment could be reduced substantially,” it said, adding that all of the foregoing estimates were “uncertain”.

De.mem buoyed by water management contract at Rio Tinto’s Amrun bauxite mine

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, Water management, , , , , , , ,

Water and wastewater treatment company De.mem says it has secured a 12-month A$780,000 ($564,868) operations and maintenance contract to manage potable water and sewage treatment plants at Rio Tinto’s Amrun bauxite mine in Queensland, Australia.

De.mem has operated the water treatment plant at Rio’s $1.9 billion operation since 2016 on a revolving monthly basis, with this contract, which began in January, providing it with business for at least a year.

De.mem CEO, Andreas Kroell, said: “This new purchase order is another great success for De.mem as it underlines our well established customer base in the mining and resources sector and our strong, recurring operations and maintenance business.”

In December, De.mem unveiled A$350,000 in new orders from municipal and resource sector customers, including one from South32’s Cannington silver-lead operation in Queensland.

Rio’s investment in Amrun is aimed at replacing production from the depleting East Weipa mine and increasing annual bauxite exports by around 10 Mt. Amrun, which shipped its first bauxite late last year, is expected to reach a full production rate of 22.8 Mt/y during 2019.

New court order could lead to shutdown of Vale’s Brucutu iron ore mine

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Vale says it has been made aware of a decision by the 22nd Civil Court of the Comarca of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, ordering the iron ore miner to stop using its Laranjeiras, Menezes II, Capitão do Mato, Dique B, Taquaras, Forquilha I, Forquilha II and Forquilha III dams.

The decision, which is within the scope of the public civil action no 5013909-51.2019.8.13.0024 filed by the Public Prosecution Office of the State of Minas Gerais, could see the company have to close the Brucutu mine (pictured) in its Minas Centrais complex, cutting some 30 Mt/y of iron ore supply.

The Brucutu unit is the largest iron mine of Minas Gerais in production, and the second largest in the country, only behind Carajás, in Pará, according to the company.

Among the dams included in the court order, three were built by the upstream method – Forquilha I, Forquilha II and Forquilha III – and were already inactive and covered by the accelerated decommissioning plan Vale previously announced to the market. The other structures, including the Laranjeiras dam at Brucutu, were built by the conventional method.

“These structures built by the conventional method have the sole purpose of sediment containment and not tailings disposal except in the case of the Laranjeiras dam,” Vale said. “All dams are duly licensed and have their respective stability reports in force. Vale therefore understands that there is no technical basis nor risk assessment to justify a decision to suspend the operation of any of these dams.”

Vale said it will adopt the “appropriate legal measures” in relation to this decision and reiterated that all the emergency measures necessary to assist the impacted people and to mitigate the impacts resulting from the breach of Dam I of the Córrego de Feijão mine are being duly adopted.

Vale currently has a fleet of Caterpillar 240 ton (218 t) 793F CMD fully autonomous trucks running at the Brucutu iron ore mine.

 

Atlas Copco extends WEDA dewatering range to slurry pump applications

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Water management, , , , , , , , , , ,

Atlas Copco Power and Flow has completed its portfolio of WEDA electric submersible dewatering pumps, in the process adding a new range for slurry applications.

The range now comprises three families; the expanded WEDA D for dewatering, WEDA S – also expanded – for sludge, and the entirely new WEDA L slurry family.

WEDA D pumps handle either clean or dirty water, even with small solids, while the WEDA S range supports dewatering of liquid sludge containing larger solids. The WEDA L products are the toughest, Atlas Copco says, having the largest apertures to facilitate handling of slurry with the most challenging solids.

“The WEDA D family expansion is marked by the D80, a new model for dewatering,” Atlas Copco said. “S30, and S60, as the new models for the WEDA S sludge family, can handle thick, soft, wet mud or other similarly viscous mixtures of liquids and solids, especially the product of an industrial or refining process. The completely new WEDA L family handles semi-liquid slurry mixtures, typically of fine particles of manure, cement or coal, and water.”

Aside from optimising performance, a lot of focus has been given to making the pumps lighter, enhancing electrical safety, improving the seal design and easing installation, Atlas Copco said. All pumps in the D and S range are available with WEDA+ features, which include phase failure protection, rotation control, thermal switches and a 20 m cable with phase shifter plug for all three phase pumps. The WEDA+ features are also available as an option on the L range.

Overall, the WEDA D pumps, which use top-discharge, can handle water of specific gravity to 1,100 kg/m³, and, depending on model, solids of 4-12 mm diameter. The bottom side discharging WEDA S pumps’ capabilities extend to water with specific gravity to 1,400 kg/m³, and solids of 25-50 mm, depending on model. The WEDA L pumps, which also use bottom side discharge, handle water of specific gravity up to 1,700 kg/m³, and, depending on model, solids of 20-60 mm diameter.

The company said: “The pumps’ specifications equip them well for an extensive range of dewatering applications; they provide the performance, reliability and ease of use and maintenance essential to users across multiple industries.

“All models feature a built-in starter and motor protection system along with optional automatic level control. Adjustable wear-resistant rubber diffusors and hardened high-chrome impellers ensure durability in tough environments.”

Hrishi Kulkarni, Product Manager, Atlas Copco Power and Flow division, said: “The WEDA pumps can handle flow rates of up to 16,500 l/min, with power ratings up to 54 kW. Accordingly, they make ideal dewatering solutions across many, diverse applications within the construction, industrial, emergency and maintenance sectors. Now, our ubiquitous coverage has been highlighted by these latest additions to the range, as they make our portfolio complete.”

Handling and transportation are eased by the pumps’ weight, which is 20% lower than competitor products, Atlas Copco said, adding that this makes them especially attractive for rental use.
Ease of operation is carefully balanced with high performance, with some models’ ability to pass solids of up to 2 in (51 mm) through the pump. An improved aluminium alloy provides higher corrosion resistance over all applications, while reinforced cable entries assure higher resistance to water leakage.

“Uptime is maximised through several measures,” the company said. “All pumps have seal types appropriate to their size, and an external plug for grease filling or an oil inspection plug for easy maintenance. With many connection options and sizes, discharge connections are adjustable, with flow direction changeable from 90-180°.

Miners need to spell out future value drivers to survive, Deloitte says

Automation, Environmental, High tech minerals, Mineral commodities, Mineral project development, Mining services, Mining software, Mining techniques, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , ,

In Deloitte’s Tracking the Trends 2019 report, the company has urged mining companies to clarify how they plan to drive value into the future how they intend to respond when prices inevitably drop again.

The report highlighted disruption and volatility as two key issues the mining sector is facing that made long-term planning and decision making more important.

“In this new world order, miners must go beyond communicating the value that they currently bring to communities and will need to articulate what they stand for by developing differentiated business models designed to drive long-term value,” Deloitte said in the report.

Deloitte’s ten trends to watch for 2019 included:

  • Rethinking mining strategy;
  • The frontier of analytics and artificial intelligence;
  • Managing risk in the digital era;
  • Digitising the supply chain;
  • Driving sustainable shared social outcomes;
  • Exploring the water-energy nexus;
  • Decoding capital projects;
  • Reimagining work, workers, and the workplace;
  • Operationalising diversity and inclusion programmes, and;
  • Demanding provenance.

On rethinking mining strategy, Deloitte said: “Mining companies have typically anchored their strategic planning on producing the highest volumes of ore at the lowest possible cost. However, in today’s environment, companies must take an ever-expanding range of issues into account when setting corporate strategy.

“Consumers, governments, and communities are becoming more vocal and irrevocably altering industry dynamics. As a result, corporate social responsibility initiatives are now morphing into stakeholder engagement programmes, and social license to operate is becoming a pivotal strategic issue that will either differentiate mining companies or derail them.

“Looking at these factors alone – consumer awareness, social license to operate, geographic risk, and access to input commodities – it becomes clear that mining companies must take an ever-expanding range of issues into account when setting corporate strategy if they hope to create competitive portfolios robust enough to generate value across multiple scenarios. This is especially critical as the industry shifts into a new stage of growth.”

On the frontier of analytics and artificial intelligence, Deloitte said: “Although mining companies are exploring and investing in analytics and AI, there is still a long way to go. Three horizons in AI are emerging and, to date, most organisations are working in Horizon One, where machine intelligence requires human assistance and interpretation.

“To move up the analytics maturity curve into Horizons Two and Three, organisations must answer progressively complex questions. The first is ‘what happened?’ The second is ‘why did those things happen?’, this allows organisations to identify the root causes.

“Only with this foundation in place can organisations answer the third question: “what will happen?” This is the key that empowers organisations to predict variability, mitigate emerging risks, and manage stakeholder expectations.”

On managing risk in the digital era, Deloitte said: “The current risk landscape is characterised by a host of issues such as mounting tariffs and sanctions, potential trade wars, cyber threats, uncertain tax and royalty regimes, rising input costs, heightened scrutiny from the investment community, environmental disasters, and infrastructure breakdowns.

“To stem this tide, mining companies must take their cue from organisations that take a more holistic view of risk. Increasingly, these leaders are moving towards the next generation of internal audit, Internal Audit 3.0.

“This approach should help mining companies address risk at an enterprise-wide level, rather than assessing isolated risks at the functional or mine site level and develop appropriate controls to both mitigate and manage the expanding array of risks they face.”

On digitising the supply chain, Deloitte said: “The mining supply chain is ripe for transformation, as supply chain improvements remain incremental instead of delivering innovations designed to optimise mining operations.

“To create a more interconnected and responsive supply chain, mining companies need to stop thinking in linear terms and imagine instead a circular system that we call the digital supply network.

“The ultimate goal is to leverage advanced algorithms, AI, and machine learning to turn data into insights that allow companies to reduce their capital expenditures, respond to changing project requirements quickly, and optimise mine planning to integrate real-time changes.”

On driving sustainable shared social outcomes, Deloitte said: “Until recently, mining companies’ social spend has been seen as a cost of compliance, rather than a way to deliver measurable and sustainable benefits to host countries and communities. If mining companies hope to drive different social outcomes, that dynamic has to change. A social enterprise is an organisation whose mission combines revenue growth and profit making with the need to respect and support its environment and stakeholder network.

“Finding value beyond compliance is no easy task. It requires miners to listen more closely to their constituents to determine what stakeholders truly want, and then to shift their operational processes in response.

“To deliver on the social breadth of these programmes, mining companies cannot work in isolation. Instead, they should look for opportunities to collaborate with other companies working in the region.”

On exploring the water-energy nexus, Deloitte said: “True value from energy management can only be derived by addressing the triple bottom line of social, environmental, and financial performance. This requires companies to approach energy management as an integrated corporate initiative.

“Yet energy isn’t the only input at risk. Mining companies must now contend with water scarcity as well as risks associated with excess rainfall, which can result in flooding.

“With a constant knowledge of how every drop of water is being used, and an understanding of all the parameters associated with its use, mining companies can manage water in the way they have begun to manage electricity, as a valuable resource.”

On decoding capital projects, Deloitte said: “Burdened by years of sub-par returns, cost overruns, and impairment charges, many mining companies opted to concentrate on maximising output from their existing operations rather than investing in new mine supply and exploration.

“This resulted in supply shortages for commodities such as copper, zinc, cobalt, lithium, and gold. But with the cycle turning, mining companies will need to engage in a wave of new capital projects to offset production declines and meet demand.

“To overcome these challenges, mining companies must build their maturity in five key areas: delivery models, data and technology, project controls, license to operate and collaboration.”

On reimagining work, workers, and the workplace, Deloitte said: “The mining industry is facing a changing talent landscape, with digitisation necessitating new skillsets, a massive generational shift when considering C-suite succession planning and a younger generation of workers who measure loyalty to an employer in months instead of years.

“To prepare for this imminent future, organisations need to clarify not only their business goals and aspirations, but also the role that their talent strategy should play to deliver on them.

“They will also need to identify the workers of the future by considering what the employee experience will look like, and the role that innovation will play in that experience. Finally, they must reconceive how employees will interact with each other and conduct their work, be it in a physical location or remotely.”

On operationalising diversity and inclusion programmes, Deloitte said: “The mining industry is not attracting sufficient numbers of diverse candidates and, to shift this balance, companies will not only need to change their talent attraction and retention policies, they will also need to change historical perceptions about the mining industry.

“Instead of approaching the issue by adopting point initiatives, they must design integrated programmes to tackle the challenge holistically. This extends into the area of talent retention, because when companies do attract women, they often struggle to retain them.

“In tandem with shifting the way they operate, mining companies must take steps to amend their public image. This starts with the image they portray on their reports and in their advertisements.”

And, finally, on demanding provenance, Deloitte said: “Rising demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing demand for EV battery materials such as cobalt, lithium, graphite, and copper.

“However, socially-conscious consumers are now questioning the provenance of raw materials. As a result, downstream customers, such as automotive manufacturers and technology giants, are demanding ethically-sourced minerals.

“This is putting unprecedented pressure on mining companies to create a more transparent interface with their customers and driving the adoption of technologies such as blockchain to enhance the traceability of commodities.”

To download the full report, go to deloitte.com/trackingthetrends

BluMetric Environmental to carry out water analysis work for Tier 1 miner

Base metals, Energy minerals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining services, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, Water management, , ,

Toronto-listed BluMetric Environmental has won a contract to carry out ground water and surface water analysis for “a Tier 1 mining client in northern Ontario”, the company said.

The environmental characterisation and engineering services contract, with one of BluMetric’s existing Ontario mining clients, is valued at approximately C$3 million ($2.3 million) over two-and-a-half years.

BluMetric said the contract will address the management of water at two adjoining facilities and, based on environmental and economic factors, preferred alternatives will be recommended to carry forward to design and construction.

Scott MacFabe, CEO of BluMetric, said: “Our team leveraged our extensive experience, including that gained from having recently completed similar engineering projects at nearby mining-related facilities, to develop a winning, cost effective proposal.

“This important client continues to show trust in BluMetric’s capabilities to address their water management issues, underscoring our ability to reliably and economically meet customers’ ongoing needs through an increasingly diverse array of products, services and competencies.”

BluMetric continues to expand its mining sector capabilities, particularly with respect to engineered solutions and care and maintenance activities, which led to the recent opening of an office in Thunder Bay.

The company calls itself a publicly-traded cleantech company with expertise across disciplines and technologies that “allow for the design and delivery of sustainable solutions to environmental challenges”.

SciDev to install OptiFlox system in Australia mineral sands operation

Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Water management, , ,

SciDev has added mineral sands to its growing list of OptiFlox® industry users after an Australia operation signed up for a multi-month commercial trial.

The system will be installed at the tailings thickener at the operation in the December quarter, according to SciDev.

This is the second multi-month trial the company has received in the past few months. In July, Peabody Energy signed up for a six-month test to improve water efficiency, productivity and operating costs at the tailings thickener section of the North Goonyella coking coal mine in Queensland, Australia.

SciDev said the award of the mineral sands trial followed extensive on-site technical evaluations by the company’s personnel.

The trial aims to optimise water recovery, consumable usage, reduce operational engagement and provide operational insights from the generation and analysis of process data, SciDev said, adding that a successful trial “may result in a long-term contract”.

The OptiFlox range of polymers is specifically tailored for the treatment of process water and wastewater in mining and minerals. It aims to recover valuable mineral resources more efficiently, while minimising losses in productivity and revenue caused by inadequate wastewater clarification in tailings thickeners.

This is the fifth OptiFlox installation in Australia across four industries: thermal coal extraction, dairy manufacturing, coking coal extraction and mineral sands production.