Chemical Engineering September 2014 - 67

Water Management Special Advertising Section
Water in mining: from liability to valuable resource
In the mining industry, the perception of water has changed: from a waste product to
be treated, to a valuable resource needing proper management, says Outotec
W
ater management in the mining and minerals industries
needs to include optimizing usage across the mine or concentrator
site, minimizing fresh water use, minimizing waste from
water treatment, and practices for water reuse and recycling.
To succeed, companies offering water management solutions
for the mining industry must have a deep understanding of mining
and mineral processes. Just being good at water treatment
technologies is not enough. Outotec's Industrial Water Treatment
offering combines mineral processing know-how built up over
several decades with water treatment expertise to develop tailormade
and optimized solutions for customers.
Water in the mining industry is complex and site-specific, since
the composition of impurities depends on the ore itself and how it
is processed. Typical impurities in wastewater are metals, arsenic,
sulfate, chloride and cyanide, often at toxic concentrations.
Water treatment processes must meet two targets. First, the
treated water should be of high enough quality so that it can be
recycled to the mineral processing plant, thus reducing fresh
water consumption. Secondly, the process must be efficient and
reliable so that the mining company can meet the requirements of
its environmental permits.
Outotec has developed several processes that meet these targets.
They combine proprietary and patented process technology
with Outotec's equipment offerings in reactors and dewatering,
plus high-quality engineering and automation systems.
A deep understanding of the mining sector gives Outotec a
head start in designing specialist water treatment processes
An example is Outotec's Ettringite process for managing sulfate,
which is a common and growing challenge in the industry.
This two- or three-step process precipitates sulfate and calcium,
lowering the scaling potential and total dissolved solids (TDS)
content of the treated water while also removing many other impurities
such as metals.
A single solution for drinking water analysis
Bürkert Fluid Control Systems presents a modular endto-end
system that can be expanded at any time
T
he continuous analysis of water parameters
can be costly, usually requiring
several different systems with separate
displays, controls and sensors. The Type
8905 Online Analysis System from Bürkert,
on the other hand, combines all the measurements
relevant to drinking water analysis
in a single compact and modular unit.
The basic version of the Online Analysis
System includes standalone analysis
cubes for five measurement parameters:
pH, redox (ORP), conductivity, free chlorine
and turbidity. All measurements have
upper and lower alarm thresholds. The
measured values are stored internally, and
also optionally sent to a remote system.
Additional sensor types and system
The Type 8905 Online Analysis System
replaces a range of individual analyzers
functions are available to expand the performance
of the modular system step by
step. Retrofits are possible at any time.
The next steps up are on one side to add
sensor cubes for more sophisticated parameters
and on the other side to extend
the range of control modules and enhance
the software to more control capabilities.
The analysis modules combine leading
micro-technologies with chemical, physical
and optical measuring principles. Modules
are hot-swappable and can be combined
as needed for customized applications.
The compact design of the platform
provides a range of savings opportunities
for users. For example, the new device requires
less space than previous standard
systems, has lower energy consumption,
and requires less wiring. It also needs less
maintenance, since the platform combines
the functions of numerous separate sensors
and all the units can be purchased
from a single source. It can easily be integrated
into existing systems, or quickly installed
in the field.
The functional scope of the Online
Analysis System is initially optimized for
municipal waterworks. By supporting
drinking water treatment specialists in
their daily work, the unit can contribute to
cost-effective and safe drinking water production
through optimization of individual
process steps.
www.outotec.com
www.burkert.com
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM||||SEPTEMBER 2014||||||67
http://www.outotec.com http://www.burkert.com
Chemical Engineering September 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering September 2014
