IM 2021 March 21 | Page 49

WATER MANAGEMENT
SUEZ on mobile scenarios
Javier Palmero Pérez is the Strategic Marketing & Business Development Manager for Mining & Metals at SUEZ . He told IM : “ Temporary mobile solutions would often be employed when a mine is closing and they need to clean up their ponds . A permanent treatment fixed solution would be used for an active mine as they continue to produce wastewater that can ’ t be discharged without treatment . Shuttered mines have to dewater their ponds or tailing ponds to meet regulatory requirements in certain areas . Many existing mines ponds are lined with a material that no longer meets containment requirements and therefore , mines need to prevent leaching into ground water supplies . Mobile solutions can help remove metals and other contaminants from the ponds in order to be compliant with regulations . Temporary solutions are also used to protect customers ' fixed treatment systems by installing pre-treatments to withstand the high metal loading and increase the life of the customer ' s equipment .”
all about mobile – where the mine lifecycle is long enough , and the flow is large enough , we will also offer permanent solutions .” Evoqua also has a lot of specific mining commodity experience that has transferred to other mining regions , such as its long history with phosphate mines with low pH water and high TSS being treated with RO . Owens adds : “ The metrics have to be right and the equipment has to be modified correctly – off the shelf will not work in these applications .”
In other projects , Evoqua has helped mining clients in the reuse market - making use of the used water they have available – such as brackish or municipal waste water or streams of their own waste water – but making sure it does not affect their process plant recoveries . Some large copper mines in the US are using water from eight or more internal and external sources . Not using aquifer water or public water supplies is a big part of mining ’ s sustainability goals . And reuse works for other users too - there are mines operating treatment solutions on water from their process , such as removing sulphates using ion exchange , allowing that water to be used by adjacent farming communities .
Evoqua has also not stood still and has evolved to focus on its core solutions while divesting other technologies . In late 2019 , DuPont acquired the Memcor ® systems business , including ultrafiltration and membrane biofiltration technologies from Evoqua , which has been applied in mining prior to RO for desalination projects . HP Nanda , Global Vice President & General Manager , DuPont Water Solutions said at the time : “ The addition of Evoqua ’ s ultrafiltration portfolio opens DuPont Water Solutions to additional market spaces including membrane bioreactors , submerged and pressurised ultrafiltration systems bringing more choice and opportunity for customers .”
Evoqua also offers mobile solutions via Frontier Water Systems , in which Evoqua has a majority investment position . Frontier handles challenges facing the mining industries through a prefabricated , efficient , advanced treatment solution . “ The SeHAWK ® bioreactor removes nitrates and selenium with unparalleled equipment footprint and performance . Additionally , the intrinsic modularity of SeHAWK
bioreactor equipment allows for turndown to meet seasonal flow variations . In a novel approach , Frontier integrates membrane technologies upstream of the SeHAWK bioreactor to achieve low-level contaminant removal and higher treatment flows without compromising on equipment footprint .”
To mitigate the impact of mining operations on a local wetland , a mine in Utah has to collect and treat a selenium contaminated groundwater stream prior to discharge . To deliver environmental compliance without a large footprint or construction effort , Frontier Water Systems supplied a modular SeHAWK bioreactor along with auxiliary plant equipment housed inside a 2,000 ft 2 tent structure . Commissioned in 2015 , the selenium treatment plant has operated
MARCH 2021 | International Mining 43