After months of preparation, the project LIFE Remine Water has launched its Mining Water Living Lab, located in the Aguas Teñidas Mine, in Huelva, in the facilities of Sandfire MATSA. This space, conceived to be the first platform for technological experimentation in water treatment in the mining sectorwill have as its main objective the research and development of innovative treatment solutions supported by renewable energies for promote the recovery of resources and the reuse of water in the industries of the mining sector.
Water management is a critical component in the operation of a mine, where the extraction processes depend on this resource to facilitate the subsequent treatment and production of minerals. Especially in these times of drought.
In a linear economy model, despite the improvement of wastewater treatment processes and the partial reuse of internal water flows to reduce the water footprint, the water is still returned to the environment after adjusting its quality and the dissolved metals are managed as waste.
In this context, Remine Water seeks transform the current process into a circular one. To achieve this, it will use a water treatment train that minimizes discharge into the environment through the recovery of more than 90% of the water for later reuse.
This system, which will be validated at the Mining Water Living Lab, is partially powered by solar thermal energy, eliminating your carbon footprint associated with the operation of evaporation processes and achieving a more sustainable and economical process. On the other hand, a second line of treatment will allow the recovery of 70% copper and 40% zinc present in acid streams rich in metals.
Co-financed by the LIFE program of the European Union, this project is coordinated by Cetaqua Barcelona (Water Technological Center), through a public-private collaboration model that was created to guarantee the sustainability and efficiency of the integral water cycle, taking into account the territorial needs.
This initiative has the participation of Sandfire CLAMPwhere the project’s pilot plant is located and which has been making large investments in water infrastructure for years to guarantee the supply and efficient management of the resource in the mines, treating industrial water and protecting the natural resources in its surroundings.
He is also accompanied as collaborators by the Łukasiewicz-Polish Non-Ferrous Metals Institute (IMN), in charge of studying the replicability of the process in the mining and metallurgical industry; and the French SME Newheatspecializing in the implementation of solar thermal energy projects in industries, which will demonstrate the economic viability of using this type of energy in water treatment processes in the mining sector.
More information in www.reminewater.eu
