Mine water treatment technologies are critical for mining applications. Water is very useful in mining as it is used in mineral processing to remove valuable metals from ore. However, using water in this manner causes mineral contaminants to accumulate in your water supply and this leads to contaminated mining water that cannot be returned to the environment or be reused due to environmental regulations and community health concerns without treatment. It is, therefore, important for mining operations to have a reliable and consistent source of clean water to keep things running.

Whilst some mining operations may pay an outside company to transport wastewater, hauling waste sludge is costly and inefficient. Retention ponds are a good option but they lose their effectiveness after some time as they become dirty, leading to a bad ROI. Instead, treatment of the water on-site with filtration methods and chemicals can lead to benefits such as full control of the treatment process; significant cost savings; the availability to reuse the water after treatment; maximum recovery of water and so on.

This is true especially now with the increased demand for metals used in electronics and storage of energy such as lithium. Energy and water challenges should be handled head-on to ensure that the demand is met with energy-efficient and profitable mining operations.

pH adjusters

During mine water treatment, one of the first things you need to do is to restore the optimal pH levels of the water. This is important in maintaining the quality of the water. It also helps dissolved metals in the water to precipitate. When the pH of the water is raised, positively charged ions react with the hydroxide ions that are negatively charged. This results in insoluble and dense metal particles that are very easy to work with.When used in the right amounts, you can lower the acidity of your mining wastewater using pH adjusters. This will return the water to balanced pH levels.

Flocculants and coagulants

After restoring your water to the right pH levels, you can use flocculants and coagulants to take small metal particles in the water and combine them to form larger clumps. Doing this makes it easier to filter them out and remove them by mechanical means.

Additional chemicals

While coagulants, pH adjusters and flocculants are the main chemicals used in the treatment of mining wastewater, certain applications need more chemicals to protect your system and prepare your wastewater for filtration. These include corrosion inhibitors, water softeners, and algaecides.

Filtration

After optimising the quality of your wastewater with the right chemicals, you can now proceed to use mechanical methods to remove suspended particles and some types of organic matter from your water. Whilst there are only a few different machines to use, filter presses, centrifuges and belt presses are some of the main types of filtration equipment you can use.

Why different methods are used to treat mine wastewater

There are a lot of mine water treatment technologies because mining water can be variable and this means that different methods and solutions can be used. Some methods are better than others but it is important to place each method in the right application.