Thiocyanate Part 2: Management Options

In Part 1 of our series on thiocyanate, we looked at why this compound is now becoming an issue for the gold industry when this precious metal has been mined for centuries. We identified the mining of complexed gold ore deposits, recycling of process water, tightening regulations and the ineffectiveness of conventional cyanide detox to […]

Our Nuvumiut Partnership

Nuvumiut Development representatives from left to right Lukasi Tukirqi, Johnny Alaku, Lukasi Pilurtuut and Don Cameron with David Kratochvil of BQE Water in the centre. Earlier this year, we formed a joint venture with Nuvumiut Development, an Inuit company focused on developing employment opportunities for people in the communities of Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq. Situated on […]

Thiocyanate Part 1: A Problem in Gold Mining

Thiocyanate is a growing environmental challenge for the gold industry. Harmful to both humans and aquatic life, thiocyanate presence is becoming more prevalent in gold mining effluents. It is formed when cyanide reacts with sulphur containing minerals and/or compounds released into solution during the metallurgical extraction of gold. Ore bodies rich in pyrrhotite, an iron […]

Sulphate in Mining Wastewater – A Question of Mass

Sulphate is a common by-product found in mine impacted water that is increasingly on the regulatory radar as a contaminant of concern. Unlike metal contaminants such as copper that are often present in mining wastewater at low levels from 0.1 to 10 mg/L, sulphate concentrations tend to be much higher and can range upwards of […]

Optimizing Lime Treatment that Uses Decommissioned Open Pit

Water management at this nickel mine in Northern Québec involves the operation of a Low Density Sludge (LDS) lime treatment system that uses a decommissioned open pit as a reactor and sludge settling basin. The source of mine impacted water being treated is surface run-off and water collected in several active and old open pits […]

Ammonia Removal from Mine Impacted Waters

Ammonia is a nitrogen compound that is found in nature in trace amounts, most notably as a waste by-product when microorganisms utilize nitrogen gas or from the decomposition of organic waste. It is also produced industrially for use in fermentation, fertilizers, cooling systems, explosives and cleaning supplies. Ammonia at concentrated levels is hazardous. Whereas mammals […]

Optimizing Water Treatment at a Zinc Smelter

In operation since the early 1900s, this zinc smelter and refinery currently produces over 200,000 tonnes of zinc and over 100,000 tonnes of lead per year. The existing wastewater treatment plant at the site was installed several decades ago to treat a blend of streams generated by smelter off-gas cleaning and conversion of the SOx […]

How Plant Operations Experience Leads to Better Plant Design

As we prepare to start our fifteenth operating season at Raglan Mine, tenth operating year in China and Colorado, we took some time to reflect on our active involvement in ongoing plant operation and maintenance, and what it means for us and ultimately our customers. In the past decade and a half, we have designed […]

Observations about SART Plant Costs

As the modern gold mining sector tries to avoid the depletion of metal reserves, the importance of complex gold deposits are increasing. These deposits are characterized by elevated content of cyanide soluble metals such as copper and zinc which increases cyanide consumption and destruction costs. As a result, additional steps in the metallurgical flowsheet are […]

The Changing Industrial Wastewater Market in China

Environmental protection in China has taken positive steps forward in the past few years after decades of rapid economic growth left the country with polluted water and air. One of these steps is the pursuit of solutions from environmental specialists outside of China to help address China’s challenges. In June 2017, BQE Water was part […]

Towards Water Stewardship with Water Reporting in Mining

Water is a finite resource essential to life and critical for economic growth. According to United Nations statistics, two-thirds of the world population could be living in water stress conditions by 20251 and three out of four jobs worldwide are water-dependent2. Water is also a vital input for mining, and the industry has been improving how […]