EDITORIAL MINING
Although mining uses just 3 % of the country’ s water resources, its effluent creates some of the most severe water quality challenges that South Africa faces today.
According to Burt Rodrigues, CEO of Biodx, a South African biotech company specialising in sustainable water solutions, the problem is compounded by a lack of collaboration and foresight in addressing water contamination.“ Effluent from mining operations often sits in holding ponds indefinitely, or worse, overflows into rivers, causing significant environmental and community damage,” he says.“ This is no longer just a mining problem but a national challenge that requires industrywide collaboration.”
Once mines use water from rivers, dams, or boreholes, it becomes contaminated with pollutants such as heavy metals, sulphates, and other chemicals. In turn, this creates vast volumes of hazardous effluent. Mining companies are legally obligated to treat this water to meet the Department of Water and Sanitation standards before releasing it back into the environment. However, financial constraints and a lack of actionable strategies often result in non-compliance.
“ There are mines that prioritise sustainable practices and invest in advanced water treatment systems,” says Rodrigues.“ Worryingly, others choose to ignore the problem, leaving communities, farmland, and ecosystems to bear the brunt of their inaction. From dead fish to being unable to use their water, it has become a matter of accountability and collaboration.” technology providers, including Siemens and DLM, to develop an automated water treatment system. This system is capable of blending effluent with treated water to meet compliance standards. It integrates hydraulic and mechanical systems, advanced measuring units, and Biodx’ s Cronodx technology. This technology uses real-time data to monitor contamination levels and optimise treatment processes without human intervention.
“ The Cronodx system was designed to provide real-time, actionable data to address one of the mining industry’ s most critical challenges: water contamination,” says Prof Cloete, developer of the Cronodx technology for Biodx.“ By integrating advanced sensors and AI-driven analytics, we can monitor water quality with precision and ensure compliance with environmental standards. This level of insight not only helps mining operations meet regulatory requirements but also fosters responsible water management practices that benefit surrounding ecosystems and communities.”
Another success story is the work done by a precious metal refinery in the East Rand. This mining house has invested heavily in state-of-the-art purification plants.“ It treats all its effluent daily, ensuring that only clean water is discharged back
This is no longer just a mining problem but a national challenge that requires industry-wide collaboration.
In one case, a mine near Bronkhorstspruit faced a legacy problem of 400 million litres of polluted water spread across three dams. Despite proposals from Biodx to implement a cost-effective filtration system capable of cleaning the water over two years, the mine declined to act, as operations had ceased.“ They had made their profits and had not budgeted for water management following the mine’ s closure,” Rodrigues explains.“ Now the environment and nearby communities are left with the fallout.”
Contrast this with a new coal mine near Bethal, which has embraced innovative solutions. The mining house has worked with Ascent Project Consultants, Biodx, and other
SA PROFILE www. saprofilemagazine. co. za
91