Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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MARCH 2014 • E&MJ; 73 www.e-mj.com P R O C E S S I N G S O LU T I O N S "The plant has been designed to ensure maximum viability, so we have taken a high-end engineering approach to match each treatment stage's water with the mine's requirements. This means that boil- er feed water, for instance, isn't subjected to all the treatment steps necessary for drinking water, which is much more viable than treating all the feed water to high- quality drinking standards regardless of its application," said Bester. After clarification, iron removal and sand filtration, the drinking water train consists of activated carbon filtration, pol- ishing and ultimately UV disinfection. The boiler feed water will be subjected to the same initial processes, but will be diverted for carbon filtration, double-pass reverse osmosis, passed through a polishing filter and continuous electro deionization after passing through the initial sand filtration skids. The softened water for use in the smelter's processes will be diverted from the demineralization stream before the second pass reverse osmosis membranes. Veolia also announced in January that it has partnered with Genesis Water, the pio- neer of the Genesis Rapid Dewatering System (RDS). As the exclusive Genesis partner in the global mining market, Veolia will deploy the Genesis RDS to help mining companies improve tailings management, recycle water and reduce reliance on tail- ings ponds. "The unique technology of the Genesis RDS complements Veolia's current portfo- lio of mining water solutions and provides their clients with a turnkey answer for tail- ings management," said Rob Krause, CEO of Genesis Water. "Our equipment provides mining operations with a tremendous capa- bility to recover and recycle water, helping to clear out tailings ponds and increase their capacity, and ultimately, reducing reliance on ponds altogether." "The Genesis RDS will introduce a new, sustainable approach that will lower the cost of tailings management for our clients," said Chris Howell, global market director, mining and primary metals, for Veolia. "Tailings management and water recovery are critical components of any mining operation, and the ability to re- duce reliance on tailings ponds opens up new possibilities for mining operations worldwide." The patented technology of the Genesis RDS achieves a 1:1 ratio of dredging (inflow) to dewatering of sub-micron par- ticulates at high throughputs. The system can be operated continuously with minimal energy and maintenance requirements, and offers the benefit of immediate clear water recovery and the production of stack- able, transportable solids, which can be more efficiently handled or further pro- cessed for asset recovery such as gravel, sand and soil. Veolia will introduce the Genesis RDS technology to the global mining industry through Veolia's network of mining clien- tele. Through the agreement, Veolia will distribute and operate the Genesis equip- ment at mining operations worldwide. Veolia has partnered with Genesis Water to distribute the RDS system in the global mining market. EMJ_pg72-73_EMJ_pg72-73 2/27/14 12:01 PM Page 73