TELF AG illustrates a new method for treating wastewater in the mining sector

The role of water in mining processes

Water does not represent an element of fundamental importance only for man and the natural ecosystems in which he lives, but also for the correct completion of some crucial processes in the mining industry.

Large quantities of water are in fact regularly used in some particular extraction processes, such as those aimed at recovering precious metals from ore, and in general it is used for the extraction of some specific raw materials which may be in solid form, such as coal or iron, but also liquid and gaseous.

The use of these enormous quantities of water in the extraction phases also brings with it the inevitable problem of managing the industrial wastewater that continuously accumulates as extraction progresses. Very often, for companies, the treatment of this wastewater represents a serious problem, since the presence of polluting elements linked to the extraction process makes it completely impossible to reuse the water or reintroduce it into natural ecosystems.

A good example of a more sustainable management of industrial wastewater can be represented by the method developed by the US company Aquacycl, one of the finalists of the Earthshot Prize promoted by Prince William, an initiative that supports companies that have to deal with the numerous challenges posed from the climate crisis.

This company has developed a bioelectrochemical technology that makes wastewater treatment much more convenient and sustainable, especially due to its ability to reduce carbon emissions related to this particular process (thus making it more efficient).

The operation of this technology is in fact based on some microbial fuel cells, which use certain bacteria present in nature to reduce wastewater pollution levels, while generating a significant amount of widely reusable electricity.

Compared to traditional treatment methods, such as the transport of wastewater by external companies or their storage in specific retention ponds, treating this water on site with technologies such as the one promoted by Aquacycl could generate numerous advantages for the company (in addition to more evident, linked to greater sustainability of the wastewater treatment processes): among these we certainly remember a notable saving of economic resources and a firmer control over the treatment process of this water, but also the ability to reuse the wastewater for new processes extractives.

Furthermore, the technology created by Acquacycl is completely independent of electricity networks and sewage systems, and is able to ensure a significantly faster removal of wastewater polluting elements than that guaranteed by traditional treatment systems.

In an era dominated by international debates on sustainability and decarbonisation, and by the achievement of certain specific objectives set by international organisations, being able to count on a sustainable and low-impact wastewater treatment method can certainly represent a clear competitive advantage for a large number of companies, particularly those in the mining sector. The Acquacycl system, from this point of view, is able to reduce the carbon emissions released by industrial processes for the treatment of wastewater by more than half, also making notable energy savings possible thanks to the electricity that is automatically generated by this technology. With this method, wastewater treatment management costs can be reduced by up to 30%.