Metals
Our Technologies to Treat Metals
We have the following facilities to support permitting, perform treatability studies, engineering designs, commissioning, and operational support.
BioSulphide® & ChemSulphide®
Our sulphide precipitation technologies use biological or chemical sources of sulphide to selectively remove dissolved metals from mining wastewater.
The process works by adding the sulphide reagent to the wastewater under controlled conditions to precipitate the target metal, forming high-grade solid metal sulphides that can be easily dewatered for sale or disposal. The water can then be discharged safely to the environment or re-used onsite. Recovering the dissolved metals as a commercial grade concentrate eliminates/minimizes waste sludge production.
Met-IX™
We apply our selective ion exchange to treat wastewater containing very low levels of dissolved metals that must be lowered further to meet stringent discharge limits.
The Met-IX™ process uses resins to selectively target the metal, removing it from the wastewater and producing a concentrated regenerant stream. ChemSulphide® is often combined with Met-IX™ to treat the regenerant stream to recover the dissolved metals as a commercial grade solid by-product. With the metal removed, the water is safe for discharge. No waste sludge is produced in this process.
Applicable Metals
Remove for environmental compliance & recover for value:
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Molybdenum
- Nickel
- Rhenium
- Silver
- Zinc
Remove for environmental compliance:
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Bismuth
- Cadmium
- Iron
- Lead
- Mercury
Case Studies
Explore our case studies showcasing innovative water treatment solutions for metal processing projects. Learn how we’ve addressed complex challenges, from recovering valuable metals to ensuring compliance with strict environmental regulations, while minimizing waste and operational risks.
ERDC
Mitigate environmental impact from legacy tailings through the treatment of pore water and surface runoff during excavation and consolidation activities.
Dexing
BQE Water established a joint venture with Jiangxi Copper Company to build and operate water treatment plants using BQE Water technologies.
Raglan
ChemSulphide® technology was selected to treat mine drainage at Raglan Mine, an active nickel mine in the Canadian sub-Arctic.
Silvertip
Amid a climate of challenging commodity prices and heightened regulatory scrutiny in the province, the Silvertip Mine in Northern BC is an underground operation set to begin production in Q4 2016.