Filter by Themen
Abwasserbehandlung
Analytik & Hygiene
Digitalisierung
Energie
Events
Nachhaltigkeit & Umweltschutz
Netze
Wasseraufbereitung
Wassergewinnung
Wasserstress
Water Solutions
Filter by Kategorien
Advertorial
Branche
Events
Forschung & Entwicklung
Leute
News
People
Products & Solutions
Produkte & Verfahren
Publications
Publikationen
Sonstiges
Trade & Industry
Filter by Veranstaltungsschlagworte
abwasser
ACHEMA
Automatisierung
Digitalisierung
Emerging Pollutants
Energie
FDBR
Hydrologie
kanalnetze
Krankheitserreger
MSR
Spurenstoffe
Talsperren
trinkwasser
Wasser
wasseraufbereitung
wasserbau
Wassernetze
Wasserversorgung
FS Logoi

New solution for water treatment

Kategorie:
Thema:
Autor: Sina Ruhwedel

December, 9 2022 | Copperstone Resources AB (“Copperstone” or “the company”) and the water treatment company Teollisuuden Vesi Oy (“TeVe”) have jointly developed a new solution for water treatment which, since November, has been evaluated on a large scale and in an authentic environment directly adjacent to the Viscaria mine that Copperstone intends to reopen.

The result of the water treatment in the pilot is ground-breaking. The method, a combination of accepted technology and chemistry (ion exchange technology), has demonstrated up to 97–99 percent of several elements of metal contamination in the mine water that is currently discharged from the old mine, which was active during the 1990s, into nearby water streams. These impressive results are exceptional also from a global perspective.

The purpose of the pilot is to show that the company will have the ability to treat both the drainage water of the now water-filled Viscaria mine as well as the water that will be discharged when the mine has returned to production. Copperstone has so far invested approximately SEK 25 million into the water treatment project. The test facility has the capacity to treat between 50–100 cubic meters of water per hour. This corresponds to up to one-sixth of the expected volume at steady-state mining and drainage.

“It is, of course, extremely gratifying that we now have proof-of-concept that we can meet our own high standards that we presented in the permit application. It also demonstrates that the technology is sufficient for the requirements that we expect to be included in the future environmental permit for the business. In fact, the treatment technology enables us to improve the water environment even before obtaining permission, both in the stream Pahtajoki and in the lake Luossajärvi”, comments Copperstone’s Head of Sustainability Anders Lundkvist.

responsible future mining

“The levelof innovation in the combined Copperstone and TeVe team has been impressive and it is with great excitement and anticipation that we will now drive the scale-up ahead of the planned restart of the Viscaria mine. This investment is one of many examples that show our commitment and dedication to responsible future mining,” says Copperstone CEO Anna Tyni.

Copperstone intends to scale up the test facility to full capacity after a granted environmental permit and well ahead of the mine reopening. Copperstone is committed to treat water during the drainage, operation and post-treatment phases and has therefore worked hard to investigate what technologies are possible.

The tests have taken place with flows of up to 100 cubic meters per hour, which shows that it is possible to continuously treat significant water flows with ground-breaking results, while the water that now naturally drains from the mine can be treated and significantly improve downstream water environments.

The various components that make up Copperstone’s treatment plant have previously been used separately in other designs. Copperstone will now begin long-term testing of the treatment plant and will thus further improve the basis of the ongoing investigation and at the same time treat the water that is currently released from the old mine.

Background

The Viscaria mine was previously operated by LKAB and Outokumpu during the 1980s and 90s, mainly through underground mining. The tunnels in the mine were drained so that the ore could be mined. When the Viscaria mine was shut down in 1997, in accordance with environmental requirements at the time, the pumps were turned off, which meant that the mine has slowly been filled with water again. The old mine shafts and copper ores have since leached minerals and other substances that have degraded the quality of the groundwater.

Measurements show that the Viscaria mine currently discharges elevated levels of, among other things, zinc, copper and uranium. Copperstone has investigated these more closely and sought solutions to both reduce the negative impact from previous operations and prevent negative impact from its own, future mining operations.

Outokumpu Oyj and later Avalon/Sunstone (from 2018) began taking regular water samples (so-called base line studies) monthly, which Copperstone has continued to do since the acquisition of Viscaria in March 2019. Copperstone has also increased the sampling of the water flow to see how variations over time affect the mineral levels in the water.

 

Das könnte Sie auch interessieren:

Net Zero Hub

Passende Firmen zum Thema:

Publikationen

Water Sensitive Urban Design as a Role Model for Water Management in Germany?

Water Sensitive Urban Design as a Role Model for Water Management in Germany?

Autor: Jacqueline Hoyer / Juliane Ziegler
Themenbereich: gwf - Wasser|Abwasser
Erscheinungsjahr: 2013

“Water Sensitive Urban Design” (WSUD), originally developed in Australia, is a planning and design approach combining the functionality of water management with principles of urban design. WSUD is mainly used in the development of integrated ...

Zum Produkt

Tertiary Filtration with Ultrafiltration Membranes in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

Tertiary Filtration with Ultrafiltration Membranes in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

Autor: Martin Wett and Eberhard Back
Themenbereich: gwf - Wasser|Abwasser
Erscheinungsjahr: 2011

During the operation of tertiary filtration stages in a dead-end-mode, retentate concentrate and rinsing water from membrane cleaning accrue naturally. Work on process solutions for these process waters with no additional particle loads for the ...

Zum Produkt

Water Solutions – 01 2017

Water Solutions – 01 2017

Themenbereich: Water Solutions
Erscheinungsjahr: 2017

The leading professional magazine for water and wastewater ...

Zum Produkt

Sie möchten die gwf Wasser + Abwasser testen

Bestellen Sie Ihr kostenloses Probeheft

Überzeugen Sie sich selbst: Gerne senden wir Ihnen die gwf Wasser + Abwasser kostenlos und unverbindlich zur Probe!

Finance Illustration 03