CASE STUDY
Commercial Demo Plant: Sulphate Removal Mining
OBJECTIVE
Removal of heavy metals from mine impacted waters
TECHNOLOGIES
ChemSulphide®
PLANT CAPACITY
3,600 m³/day
LOCATION
Northern BC, Canada
BQE WATER SCOPE
Evaluation of treatment options, process design, plant automation, fabrication and installation support, commissioning and ongoing operations support
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
- Eliminates liquid brine waste while maximising water recovery for re-use
- Converts mine water from a liability into a value-generating resource
Project Overview
BQE Water entered into a development agreement with a US based mining company to apply Sulf-IX™ technology on mine impacted water containing elevated levels of sulphate. The approach to water treatment taken by the mine owner focuses on transformation of the mine water from liability to value product.
A transformative approach involves reclaiming the mine water for re-use and generating clean, non-hazardous by-products or that may have value. By maximizing water recovery while eliminating liquid brine waste and the associated disposal costs, the life cycle costs are significantly reduced.
After a detailed technical evaluation and verification that Sulf-IX™ can treat mine water for re-use and produce only an inert by-product, the mine owner has concluded Sulf-IX™ is more cost-effective than alternative options for their purposes. Findings are being utilized in on-going process demonstration and detailed assessment of life cycle costs.