imwa international mine water association prof. dr. habil. christian wolkersdorfer finnish...

IMWAInternationalMineWaterAssociation

Prof. Dr. habil. Christian WolkersdorferFinnish Distinguished Professor for Mine Water ManagementSouth African Research Chair for Acid Mine Drainage

TreatmentIMWA General Secretary

Mine Water Treatment 3.0

Where do we need to go to?

Green Mining Water SeminarHelsinki 2014-06-09


Outlay

• Mine Water – a scaling issue

• Some “nice” mine water examples

• Mine Water Management 1.0 – 3.0

• A Solution? Not Yet!• Conclusions


The Problem! – Really a Problem?

• What is Mine Water?– H2O

• 55.5 mol– Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+

– HCO32-, Cl-, SO4

2-, NO3-

• 0.5 mol– B, Ba, Fe, Al, Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb

U, Ni, Se, REEs• 0.0005 mol

• AVOGADRO Constant– 6.0221417930 × 1023 mol-1


The Problem! – Really a Problem?

• Mine Water• 55.5 mol• 0.5 mol

• 0.0005 mol


Abandoned Mines and Mine Drainage

• Some “nice” examples– drinking water

• Everywhere possible– spa water

• Bad Suderode/Germany, Feengrotten Saalfeld/Germany, Alexisbad/Harz Mountains, Bad Gastein/Austria

– turbine water• Max-Braun-Adit, Biberwier/Tyrol

– recreational purposes• Passagem de Mariana Gold mine, Minas Gerais,

Brazil; Banyan Tree Phuket, Thailand


Good Exampleshealth spa

Paselstollen, Bad Gastein/Austria | © Gasteiner Heilstollen/GTG


Good Exampleshealth spa

Paselstollen, Bad Gastein/Austria


Good ExamplesDrinking Water Supply

Teichtalstollen: Königshütte/Harz Mountains/Germany | Drinking Water Supply


Good ExamplesElectricity Production

Biberwier/Tirol/Austria: Turbine Water (since 1902)


Good ExamplesRecreational Usage

Passagem de Marianna/Brazil: Visitor’s mine


Good ExamplesVisitors’ Mine

Reiche Zeche Freiberg/Germany


Good ExamplesVisitors’ Mine

Reiche Zeche Freiberg/Germany: Rothschönberg drainage adit Yefimochkina | Kugler


Lignite Mine Eastern GermanyCooling Water ∫ Drinking Water

Lusatia, Schwarze Pumpe, Germany


Lignite Mine Eastern Germany



Lignite Mine Eastern GermanyCooling Water ∫ Drinking Water



Mine Water Management 1.0 – 3.0

• Mine Water Management 1.0– First Applications

• Mine Water Management 2.0– Improved Neutralisation Technologies

• Mine Water Management 2.5– New technologies– Improved Process Control

• Mine Water Management 3.0– Holistic Approach– Valorisation of Mine Water

Th

e W

aste

Ag

eV

alo

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• Mine Water Management 1.0– 1859 Upper Silesia/Germany (now Poland)– Liming to neutralise acid mine water (LDS process)

• Mine Water Management 2.0– 1970 Pennsylvania, USA– Liming and sludge recirculation (HDS Process)

• Mine Water Management 2.5– 2006 eMmalahleni, South Africa– Membrane Technologies– Ion Exchange Processes– Electronically controlled Operation



Collection

Polluted Water

Pumping

TreatmentSludge

Dispo

sal

Brine

Mine Water

Receiving Water Course

Past

an d

Cur

ren t

Mine Water Treatment 1.0 – 2.5

The

Fu

ture



What is Mine Water Management 3.0

• Mine Water Management 3.0– 2030 Gauteng, South Africa (?)– Valorisation of Mine Water– Drinking Water– (Semi)-Metals

– Electrochemical Methods

– Integrative Membrane Technologies– Selective Ion Exchange – Biotechnologies

– Improved Process Control

– New Sensors/New Materials


Mine Water Management 3.0

Collection

Polluted Water

Pumping

TreatmentSludge

Dispo

sal

Brine

Mine Water

Receiving Water Course

Past

an d

Cur

ren t

Mine Water Treatment 1.0 – 2.5

The

Fu

ture


Selective Collection Selective Collection

Clean Water Enriched Water

Data Transmission

on-line Monitoring Sampling

Pumping Pumping

Geothermal Plant

Energy

Metals

Semimetals

Fertilizers

Winning Operation

Analyses

Data Processing

Drinking Water


Path Forward

• Education and Training– Well educated operators– Aware of potential environmental impacts– Know how process operates– Are allowed to make own decisions


Path Forward

• Integrated Mine Water Management– Recycle– Reuse– Aquifer Storage and Recovery– Surface Storage– Expert Systems


Potential Future Technologies

• Selective Membrane Technologies• Electrochemical Methods• Selective Ion Exchange• Freeze Crystallization


Conclusions – call it“Path Forward” if you want

• Mining Companies– Give time for new technology

• Authorities– Allow for “non standard” solutions

• Researchers– Identify what others “missed”

• Consultant Companies– Provide better education for employees– Maintain good literature databases – Recommend intelligent technologies

• All of us– Try to become more open minded


Reinventing the wheel – again and again


Conclusions – Still the Path Forward

• Don’t repeat experiments others did before

• Find gaps in current technology• Think about technology outside

your area and how it can be implemented

• Education• Courage and Endurance• Chain of custody for water samples• In situ methods• Perseverance


The End!

Walter Moers Stollentroll

Thanks andGlückauf!

Thanks andGlückauf!


Walter Moers Stollentroll

imwa international mine water association prof. dr. habil. christian wolkersdorfer finnish...

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