Sulphate
Our Technologies for Sulphate Removal & Sulf-IX™
Sulphate is easily mobilized in waste streams and is subject to strict discharge limits ranging from 250 to 1,000 mg/L depending on the receiving environment and jurisdiction. BQE Water provides advanced sulphate removal technologies that transform mine water from a liability into a value product. By utilizing our proprietary Sulf-IX™ technology, our sulphate removal mining solutions offer significant advantages over traditional membrane treatments:
- Selectively targets sulphate and hardness without producing high volumes of liquid brine waste.
- Produces only clean, non-hazardous solid by-products (gypsum).
- Recovers > 95% of the water for safe re-use.
- Significantly reduces life cycle costs and long-term disposal liabilities.
Sulf-IX™ and Sulf-IXC™
Our ion exchange based technologies use resins to selectively remove sulphate and hardness from process waters to produce treated water compliant with sulphate discharge limits and a solid gypsum by-product.
All ion exchange reactions take place in fluidized bed reactors at rise rates that precipitate gypsum without scale formation on the resin beads. And with only the gypsum pore water lost during the process, these technologies can improve water use efficiencies in applications such as cooling towers by removing sulphate to allow for increased water recirculation and re-use.
Sulf-IX™ and Sulf-IXC™ Mobile Pilot Plant
We offer the capability to provide onsite field testing with a mobile pilot plant that demonstrates Sulf-IX™ and Sulf-IXC™ technologies to remove sulphate from wastewater to comply with discharge requirements.
Housed in a single, self-contained insulated aluminum sided trailer, the unit can be deployed to your site for field testing with fresh solution. The unit is equipped with a field laboratory including a dedicated lab bench and can operate on a continuous flow basis in any weather condition. Full engineering and operational support for field tests is provided. Data collected from the pilot plant is used to validate the design criteria for a full-scale facility, ensuring cost effective sulphate compliance.
MOBILE PILOT PLANT SPECS
Technologies: Sulf-IX™ and Sulf-IXC™
Capacity: Up to 14.4 m3/day (2.64 USGPM)
Reagents Required: Sulphuric acid, lime, flocculant and CO2
Unit Size: 53’ long x 8.5’ wide x 13.5’ high
Electrical: UL/CSA
Automation & Controls: Fully instrumented, programmable PLC and HMI for unattended operation
CASE STUDIES
Learn more about how we’ve applied advanced sulfate treatment systems to meet strict environmental standards, reduce discharge levels, and address unique project challenges in diverse industrial settings.
COMMERCIAL DEMONSTRATION PLANT
Demonstrated sulphate removal mining capabilities using our Sulf-IX™ process for a US-based mining company. The project successfully maximized water recovery for re-use while eliminating liquid brine waste and associated disposal costs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sulphate Removal
Why choose Sulf-IX™ over Reverse Osmosis for sulphate removal?
Traditional Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems generate high volumes of liquid brine waste that require costly disposal and create long-term environmental liabilities. Our Sulf-IX™ process selectively removes sulphate and eliminates liquid brine waste entirely, producing clean, non-hazardous solid by-products while recovering over 95% of the water for safe re-use.
What discharge limits can Sulf-IX™ achieve?
Sulf-IX™ is engineered to meet strict environmental compliance, reliably treating mine wastewater to achieve sulphate discharge limits well below the typical 250 to 1,000 mg/L thresholds required by most global regulatory jurisdictions.