There is a lot you need to know about the coal mine water treatment process. The mining industry uses a considerable amount of water during its process of transforming ores into metals. Mineral processing and mining are the usual initial two steps in metal production’s life cycle, which are in general, followed by refining and smelting stages, all needing water along the way. This article features key facts about the coal mining industry and how it treats water, which you are supposed to know.
- Water scarcity
Frequently, mines are situated in remote areas with scarce water resources, and several mining projects have failed as a result of inadequate water supplies. Sometimes, the mining industry could be in competition with other varying industries for access to available water resources, based on the location of the mine. Permission to use the limited water supply is via rights, allocations, or a large variety of varying licenses, and altering the amounts can be a challenging process that’s controlled by government. Other factors such as needs for enlarged production, climate change, and a decrease in mineral quality worsen the issue, and contribute to the significance of having available water treated, managed, and recycled.
- Mine water treatment
Several approaches could be utilized for the effective treatment of mine waters, with the solution for treatment based on the contamination of the mine water. An example is the coal mine water treatment process which is dependent on the kind of contamination found in water from coal mining plants. Membrane treatment like reverse osmosis is an approach that’s commonly used, but could feature problems with fouling and scaling from compounds like sulphates, metals, as well as carbonates. This frequently translates into pre-treatment being needed prior to membrane treatment being employed, which could comprise chlorination to eliminate bacteria, addition of lime to eliminate metals, and supersaturated gypsum, removal of suspended solids, pH adjustment to have scaling limited, and the addition of anti-scalants.
Typically, reverse osmosis is utilized for water that features low sulphates and calcium concentrations, and a level of brine that’s high is normally produced which could feature a significant cost of disposal. A usual single RO pass attains a clean water recovery rate of 60% to 70%, with the rest being expelled into the brine stream. The stream could then either be treated using lime (precipitating the supersaturated salts out and destroying the anti-scalant) or it could be passed through an evaporator/crystallizer to eliminate excess water, thus increasing energy and capital expenses.
- Water reuse
Recirculation of mining process water is a common industry practice for decreasing tailings storage, discharge volumes, and water intake. The number of times water could be reused prior to trace contaminant buildup negatively influencing the extraction process is dependent on the process that’s being utilized and the substance that’s being extracted. The important thing is that water recycling helps solve water issues on mining plants but great care must be taken in recycling the water.
These are the three foremost facts that you need to know about the coal mine water treatment process. If you have further questions or need additional info, just contact the foremost industry experts.
