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By L. J. Habegger

This paper considers the potential water quality impacts of future energy scenarios which project an approximate doubling of coal utilization from 1975 to 1985. The major impacts estimated for coal extraction are related to effluents from unregulated activities (reclaimed areas prior to stable vegetation) and pollutants (e.g., metals and ammonia). Where applicable, the EPA effluent guidelines to be in effect by 1983 reduce the impact of individual sources to low levels. For example, total suspended solids and acidic discharges are to be regulated to levels generally below recommended water quality standards for receiving streams. However, implementation of these guidelines, particularly for coal extraction, has not been demonstrated on a wide scale. Water quality is not expected to be a major constraining factor for increasing capacity of coal fired utility and industrial boilers. Water quality control has not been demonstrated on a commercial scale for coal conversion to synfuels, but adequate control technologies appear to be feasible.

Jan 1, 1978

By R. N. Browne

As man searches unexplored horizons for new and economic industry, he must be constantly and acutely aware of the presence or absence of that precious commodity without which Industry, indeed Man himself, could not survive --W ATE R. The water requirements of the world today are magnanimous, considering that in 1960 the estimated consumption in the united States was over 300 billion GPD (1) or more than 1,700 GPD per person (5). The magnitude of the problem can be visualized as one considers that three times this quantity of water will be required in the united States by the year 2 000, when the dependable supplies of water are estimated to be only two-thirds of that required(2). How, then, can we continue to wreak such havoc on that life-sustaining substance -W ATE R? It is necessary, indeed mandatory, that those engaged in the Engineering profession consider it their moral obligation, not only to conserve the quantity of water which their conceived projects may require, but also to treat the effluent in order that the eutro-phication of natural water courses not be abnormally accelerated. The International Nickel Company of Canada Limited consumes some 33-1/2 millions of gallons of fresh water daily at its nine town-sites, fourteen mines and eight plants throughout the Sudbury district of Ontario. The present daily reuse of water exceeds 100 millions of gallons in the same area. It is noteworthy to mention that the milling rate has increased from 46,000 to 70,000 tons per day during the past five years, with no increase in water consumption. In fact, there has been a reduction in fresh water requirements.

Jan 1, 1971

By H. R. Butler, R. N. Browne

"The International Nickel Company of Canada Limited consumes some 33 ½ millions of gallons of fresh water and reuses more than 100 millions of gallons of water daily. The continuing search for suitable recycle methodology has enabled the Company to put one 25,000 TPD mill on line utilizing recycled water entirely and a second 35,000 TPD mill is under construction which will likewise employ the concept of recycled water. Future milling plans are aimed at the replacement of all fresh water with recycled water, including sewage effluent and mine waste water.WATER REUSE AT INCO’s SUDBURY MILLSAs man searches unexplored horizons for new and economic industry, he must be constantly and acutely aware of the presence or absence of that precious commodity without which Industry, indeed Man himself, could not survive -- W A T E R. The water requirements of the world today are magnanimous, considering that in 1960 the estimated consumption in the United States was over 300 billion GPD (l) or more than 1,700 GPD per person(5) The magnitude of the problem can be visualized as one considers that three times this quantity of water will be required in the United States by the year 2000, when the dependable supplies of water are estimated to be only two-thirds of that required(2). How, then can we continue to wreak such havoc on that life-sustaining substance - WATER?"

Jan 1, 1970

By L. Schlink

Impacted waters, often complex, are created in mining which at some point in the mine life cycle will need to be attended. The simplest and most cost effective method of handling impacted water is to reuse it as makeup water for operations. At the end of mine life, operational reuse will not be an option and the impacted water will require treatment to achieve alternative reuse goals. Conventional mine impacted water treatment is successful in removing unwanted constituents but create brine and sludge that may require special handling or additional treatment, resulting in additional liabilities and costs. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold has taken an approach to water treatment that focuses on transformation not concentration. The Water Treatment Test Facility located at Sierrita Mine has three test plants that are piloting the mine impacted water transformation process. Two plants have been designed for the removal of calcium and sulfate with products of gypsum and sulfur. The third plant removes metals from process water and transforms them into marketable metal sulfides. The transformation, rather than concentration, of mine impacted water solutes greatly reduce long term risks.

Feb 23, 2014

By Odin Wilhelmy

Agriculture in the United States today is becoming more and more a business, rather than a way of life. In the light of this, it behooves the farm-supply industries that provide the American farmer with his tools of production--feed, fertilizer, machinery, and the like--to give even greater attention than they have in the past to meeting the needs of the farmer-businessmen they are serving. Increasing competition among the companies that make up these industries merely accentuates this need for better service. An opportunity for such improved service, not yet fully realized, exists in the fertilizer industry today. That opportunity lies in the increased transportation of fertilizer ingredients by water. However, before the benefits inherent in this increased water movement of fertilizers can be fully realized, certain obstacles must be met and overcome. It is the purpose of this paper to outline the nature and magnitude of this opportunity, to point out some of the roadblocks and the steps that can be, or are being, taken to remove them, and to indicate some of the rewards that would logically stem from success in these efforts.

Jan 1, 1961

By B. Waterman, D. Ramey, L. Schlink

"Water is a primary commodity for most industrial processes. It has become a global focus in light of climate change and population growth. Reuse of process water has two major benefits - minimize the amount of fresh water added now and minimize the amount of discharge water that requires treatment later.Mining and mine product processing has its share of reused water. For example, reclaim water from a tailings impoundment, overflow from thickeners and leach solution to raffinate and back again all demonstrate the use and reuse of water in mining circuits. Eventually, a mine reduces production or ceases operations completely, eliminating the option to reuse the impacted water and, thus, requires treatment of the remaining water.Current methods of water treatment remove the impacts, providing clean water for discharge, but leaves behind a concentrated waste that requires further treatment or disposal of a hazardous waste. Freeport- McMoRan is currently testing three water treatment technologies specific for sulfate and/or metal removal from mine impacted water with the approach of transformation not concentration. These technologies provide clean water for alternative use while creating byproducts that could be marketable, or disposed as a nonhazardous material, thereby reducing the cost and longterm liability of disposal.The selection of a water treatment process is site-specific. The volume of water, contaminant to be removed, disposal options, length of time for treatment, location of plant and reagents and discharge requirements are some of the factors that need to be considered when selecting a water treatment process. Common water treatment technologies for mine impacted water consist of low- or high-density sludge (LDS/ HDS), reverse osmosis (RO) and evaporative technologies. In addition to operating costs, these processes require additional handling of the concentrated sludge or brine. Advanced water treatment technologies include ion exchange, solvent extraction and metals precipitation with or without the aid of a biological system. Some of the more complex systems have a series of unit operations to achieve required discharge regulations."

Jan 1, 2014

By R. Lowery

TODAY, man uses, at will, the land, the water, and the air to transport himself and his goods everywhere across the face of the world. He no longer thinks with wonder of the magic of conquering these elements - he takes his mastery of them for granted. He is, however, constantly striving to squeeze more and more efficiency from each mode of transport. Man's first method of transporting himself and his goods was, obviously, himself; then he acquired his first beast of burden - woman. Most other two-legged female animals carried their young around clinging to their fur. Human mothers were, generally speaking, furless and their offspring less 'Prehensile, and so slings and other trappings were invented to carry young children. Man's inventive genius soon adopted these devices for carrying other burdens, and for countless centuries woman carried all in order that man could walk unencumbered except by his weapons. Later other ?beasts of burden were trained and used, including dogs, horses, oxen, camels, etc. Man also discovered quite early that he could drag along the ground more than he could carry on his back.

Jan 1, 1956

By Phillip J. Maddex

Transportation is a major part of yours in the industrial minerals industry. Whereas federal income taxes merely take 50 per cent of your firms profits, transportation cost may take 50 per cent of the gross realization - selling price plus transportation - on your product, f. o. b. customers plant.

Jan 1, 1969

By P. M. Shibley

"IntroductionMine drainage, surface. drainage and process liquors are the principal mine and mill effluents. The quantity and quality of these flows varies according to mineralogy, type and scale of mining, the process, tailing disposal, local ground conditions and climate.Typical contaminants remaining after solids sedimentation are colloidal or semi-colloidal particles, acids, alkalis, metals in solution, cyanides and thiosalts. Environmental regulations and guidelines have been issued in detail by the appropriate government agencies and will not be reviewed here. Revisions and additions are being made as our comprehension and abilities increase. Some contaminants of consequence have not been specifically regulated as practical treatment technology has not been identified. Thiosalts fall into that category as do the derivatives of the first stage of cyanide oxidation - cyanates.Most mining activities have present or foreseeable water treatment requirements. Because process economics can be adversely skewed by the environmental factor, the acknowledged objective of every operation must be to identify and anticipate those requirements.The evaluation and selection of water treatment techniques for mine-mill applications is complicated by the fact that most mine-mill effluents are high volume, dilute and chemically complex systems. Treatment processes applicable to most contaminants are: chemical or biological oxidation; neutralization and/or precipitation; liquid/solids separation. Other processes such as ion exchange, electro-deposition, foam fractionation, freeze crystallization and reverse osmosis offer the possibility of selective removal or concentration of contaminents. The latter tediniques, representing a slightly higher level of technology, are less suited to the large, low value flows usually encountered in the mine environment."

Jan 1, 1989

By R J. Higgins, M Edraki

What is the meaning of the Life of a Mine (LOM) if that mine results in a requirement for water treatment in perpetuity? ‘In perpetuity’ is of course a duration with no relationship to a Life-of-Mine or what might rightly be regarded by external stakeholders as a fair and reasonable post-mine recovery period. It exceeds the life span of investors, mine managers and governments, indeed even of capital markets as we know them, and of corporate and individual memories.In mine and mine closure planning, decisions are usually based at least to a significant extent on traditional economic analysis underlain by discounted cash flows (DCF). For investments in income-producing facilities, such as mining development and equipment, and ore-processing plant and equipment, this analysis reflects commercial reality and allows for comparison of competing investments. However, for environmental and social infrastructure, the same analysis using the same input parameters, especially the discount rate applied to cash flows, can lead to a bias against the adoption of best practices for non-investor stakeholders. CITATION:Higgins, R J and Edraki, M, 2018. Water treatment in perpetuity – or not?, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2018, pp 131–132 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 25, 2018

AustraliaÆs record-breaking drought, efforts towards environmental best practice and the current commodities boom is demanding water use and reuse as never before. Mining practices, processing, the remote communities and support industries require vast amounts of specific quality water. Sustainability of water use has been a key factor in mine development, expansion of existing operations and increasing profitability of processes involving water. Developments in water treatment technology have enabled the use of a range of processes to produce this water reliably at ever decreasing costs. This increasing acceptance of new technologies has seen seawater desalination, recycling of plant wastewater streams, municipal wastewater reuse and others to become commonplace. Processes including seawater and groundwater reverse osmosis (RO), low pH RO, thermal desalination, high rate clarification, brine water treatment, ion exchange and other advanced treatment technologies are now used as part of mining operations. This paper surveys the trends in water treatment for the mining industry both in Australia and internationally with a review of technologies and case studies of operating plants. The key technologies are explained with an emphasis on the specific requirements for mining operations û unusual raw water, process and operations limitations, environmental concerns, as well as harsh climate. Case study information from several mining operations is included.

Jan 1, 2006

By J. F. J. Thomas

"AbstractBoth the quantity and quality of waters available as raw materials are important to Canadian industry and to the national economy. The huge demands of many Canadian industries is illustrated by tabulated figures, based on the 1950 Canadian production of certain products, and on United States figures for the gallons of water required to produce a unit quantity of each product. It is suggested from comparison with American survey results and figures that Canadian industrial water consumption is 1 to 11/2 billion Imperial gallons per day. Since present information on Canadian usage is meagre and it is not certain that American survey results can be directly applied to Canadian industry, this estimate must await confirmation in future studies.The hydrologic cycle and the principal factors affecting the quantity and quality of water, namely, climate and season, topography, geology, vegetation, and human activities, are discussed and the principal salts dissolved in water which affect industrial use are enumerated.The present survey studies by the Mines Branch on water quality are outlined. Besides chemical analyses of municipal water supplies within a watershed, periodic sampling and analyses of major surface waters for a one-year period is being carried out. The importance of studies on seasonal variation in quality is stressed by comparing the dissolved salts in various river waters with river flow. Figures showing such relationships in the Rideau river and Ottawa river at Ottawa, the Columbia river at Trail, B.C., and the Battle river at Unwin, Sask., are presented. Different rivers show different quality changes with changing flow, and possibly only after long-term studies can the relationships be predicted.Quality studies on water may be as important as studies on many other raw materials. The quantity of the raw material, water, is not inexhaustible nor is the quality indestructible, and more realization of its importance, followed by conservation and intelligent use, is desirable."

Jan 1, 1952

By Y. Maeda

Non-ferrous smelting furnaces generally install a gas cooling system for treatment of waste gas containing SO2,. From the point of view of corrosion resistance and recovery of waste heat, the high pressure boiler system is the best way to cool gas, however this system requires high initial investment and relatively higher operating costs. Because the feasibility of this boiler system greatly depends on the smelting process and scale, other lower temperature systems, e.g. water-cooled jacket system, are more suitable if the smelting process does not produce enough steam nor generate enough electricity to compensate operating cost. In additton, the water-cooled jacket system is simple in structure and easy to operate. For those reasons, it is applied widely. A new smelting furnace was planned in our factory and it was necessary to install waste gas cooling equipment. In our case, a water-cooled jacket system was more feasible because of the low gas volume and high dust content. It was also expected to operate without maintenance for ten years. On the other hand, some leakage problems with the water-cooled jacket had been experienced in the past. That is because SO2 In the waste gas changed into sulfuric acid which corroded the jacket material. As the first step, several data from actual' usage were reviewed to throw light on the corrosion process, and an appropriate procedure to determine the operating temperature of cooling water was obtained. For the basis of this study, a water-cooled jacket system was newly designed and tested for three months in a pilot plant. After this system's performance was confirmed, it was installed in a new furnace as a commercial plant. After one year of operation, the initial thickness of carbon steel jacket remains almost the same.

Jan 1, 1992

By Y. Maeda

Non-ferrous smelting furnaces generally lnstal1 a gas cooling system for treatment of waste gas containing S02. From the point of view of corrosion resistance and recovery of waste heat, the high pressure boiler system Is the best way to cool gas, however this system requires high Initial investment and relatively higher operating costs. Because the feasibility of this boiler system greatly depends on the smelting process and scale, other lower temperature systems, e.g. water-cooled Jacket system, are more suitable If the smelting process does not produce enough steam nor generate enough electricity to compensate operating cost. In addition, the water-cooled Jacket system Is simple in structure and easy to operate. For those reasons, it is applied widely. A new smelting furnace. was planned tin our factory and It was necessary to install waste gas cooling equipment. In our case, a water-cooled Jacket system was mo11e feasible because of the low gas volume and high dust content. H was also expected to operate without maintenance for ten years. On the other hand, some leakage problems with the water-cool1ed Jacket had been experienced In the past. That is because S02 in the waste gas changed into sulfuric acid which corroded the Jacket material, As the first step, several data from actual usage were reviewed to throw light on the corrosion process, and an appropriate procedure to determine the operating temperature of cooling water was obtained. For the basis of this study, a water-cooled Jacket system was newly designed and tested for three months in a pilot plant. After this system's performance was confirmed, It was installed In a new furnace as a commercial pl.ant. After one year of operation, the initial thickness of carbon steel Jacket remains almost the same.

Jan 1, 1992

By L. Alan Weakly

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has entered into a $l.5 million Cooperative Agreement with Alpine Equipment Corporation/Astro International Corporation ("Alpine") of State College, Pennsylvania, for the evaluation of water-jet-assisted (WJA) mechanical cutting of oil shale under actual mining conditions. A commercial-sized, heavy WJA mechanical miner is being assembled based upon the successful "factory testing" of a smaller prototype miner utilizing standard tungsten-carbide and Polycrystalline Diamond Composite (POC) bits in large oil shale boulders. Actual field testing of the machine will be conducted in an oil shale mine located in the Piceance Basin of Western Colorado. In-mine logistical support is being provided by several oil shale companies through the Colorado Mining Association (CMA) and the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM).

Jan 1, 1990

Develop technology that can reduce the dust exposure of a mine worker at the tailgate end of the longwall face by providing him with a clean split of air. Approach Use the jet spray air mover (JSAM) developed under a Bureau of Mines contract (refer to Technology News No. 117 for details on the development), to clean a small portion of the face air and to discharge the clean air behind a brattice partition. How It Works At most longwalls, air flows along the face from head-to-tail. Most of the airborne respirable dust generated along the face during mining is transported to the tailgate with the airflow. Any miner required to work at the tailgate is exposed to this dust. The only practical means of removing airborne respirable dust is with a scrubber. Simplicity and size made the JSAM the best choice for cleaning a portion of the tailgate air. The scrubber has no moving parts and is operated by water at low flow rates (<10 gpm) and fairly high pressures (250-500 psig). Many longwalls have sufficient water systems to supply the JSAM with adequate water pressures and flow rates. Also, the JSAM&apos;s size (4&apos;x 2&apos;x 1&apos;) allows it to be hung on one of the tailgate&apos;s shields or at some other convenient location. A clean split can be maintained at the tailgate by discharging the cleaned air behind a brattice partition at the work area. This should effectively seal off the clean air from the dusty air and provide the tailgate worker with a less dusty work environment.

Jan 1, 1983

By S. A. Pence, A. I. McCallum, V. de Korompay

"Special salt protection rings containing a water-swell• able, polymeric sealant are in successful operation in Canadian potash shafts. Installed above the Prairie Evaporite salt formation at a depth of 3,000 feet, the sealant is preventing formation water migration into the salt and pressure build-up on the concrete lining of both production and service shafts. The salt protection rings are not under the hydrostatic pressure of the formation water.The chemical sealant in use has the unique property of imbibing water and swelling. •Therefore, any water at• tempting to flow by the seal ring actually produces a tighter seal.The purpose of this paper is to discuss the sealant and its properties and uses. Installation of the material and its operation in two Canadian mine shafts is described."

Jan 1, 1971

By Ram V. Ramachandran

As an industry with major potential impacts (both good and bad) on water resources and due to the rising costs of process water, the mining and metallurgical processing industry has a key responsibility to contribute to the overall goal of preserving both the quantity and quality of water available within the watersheds they operate in. As we plan for new and existing mining and metallurgical projects, we need to consider a hierarchy of options to minimize our impact within the watersheds we operate; keeping clean water clean by diverting around our operations; reduction in the amount of water we use; reuse of water wherever possible, and improvements to water quality for recycling and/or release to environment. Technology is needed to treat water to improve its quality for reuse or release to the original watershed. While lime precipitation followed by sulfide polishing is effective for removal of most of the metals, it does little or nothing to remove ammonium ions and anions such as chloride, nitrate, molybdate, arsenate and selenite/selenite. Regulations on sulfate limits in treated discharge water has drawn close attention to the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD). Management of brine and salt disposal is also posing a problem due to strict regulations and cost of disposal. This paper will: (a) address issues associated with managing water with the objective of maintaining water sheds—status quo-during and after operation (b) discuss potential technologies for advanced water treatment plants.

By J Palise

As cities become more populated and the need for tunnelling increases, we continue to dig deeper urban tunnels in more challenging ground conditions. At the same time our expectations for durability and long-term performance are increasing.It has become increasingly apparent in recent years that repairing water leaks in tunnels can be very costly and unplanned infiltration can cause undesirable outcomes for long-term maintenance costs, structural durability and environmental impacts. For this reason, tunnel constructors are investing more time and effort upfront into drainage and waterproofing systems.Tunnel membrane systems are becoming accepted as a necessary part of tunnel construction, however the knowledge surrounding selection of appropriate systems, design detailing and installation methods has not increased at the same rate. Currently Australia relies heavily on International Standards from Europe and the United States with no immediate program in place to establish our own locally relevant industry standards.This paper gives an overview of where the industry in Australasia is heading in terms of adopting relevant standards. Current basic waterproof detailing options for drained and undrained tunnels with success and failure of various methods are also addressed. Finally we look at the Brisbane Airport Link as a case study for how tunnel waterproofing contract methods, design and installation issues are being addressed in context with recent projects including the Epping to Chatswood Rail Link in Sydney, Auckland Northern Gateway Tunnel, Eastlink Tunnel in Melbourne and Sydney City West Cable Tunnel.This paper’s primary objective is to propose guidelines for how tunnel waterproofing could be implemented on large infrastructure projects in the future and to map a path for preparing and introducing a ready to use document for selecting appropriate tunnel membrane and drainage systems whilst implementing detailing methods which are appropriate for local conditions.

Mar 8, 2011

By W. P. Campbell

In the course of the development of the Red Coulee field, northwest of Coutts, Alberta, a considerable amount of information has been gathered by the Department of the Interior regarding the chemical character of waters encountered in the drilling of wells in this area. The writer, in this paper, has undertaken to assemble the available material with the idea of deducing what relations, if any, may exist between the different waters from the same well, and also how these compare with waters encountered in similar horizons in other wells. From no other district, with which the Department of the Interior has had to do, have there been received so many samples of water, and yet not all the waters logged in the drilling reports were sent in for analysis. The information, therefore, herein contained is not as complete as the writer would have desired, but sufficient evidence has been accumulated to indicate some very definite tendencies in the chemical nature of the waters of this field. The drilling of Red Coulee wells has been carried out exclusively by percussive tools. These permit &apos;dry&apos; drilling, and, consequently, water-sands are recognized when encountered. Had rotary tools been used, information regarding water-sands would have been very meagre, if not entirely lacking, since, in the mudding-off process, water-sands would have been overlooked, with the result that, should water break through into a completed well, its source would not be known and remedial efforts would be greatly handicapped, if not entirely defeated.

Jan 1, 1931