Abstract:

Pressure to achieve higher water recycling (%) in parallel to higher metallurgical yield with the same resources is leaving many operations with tied hands and conflicting performance metrics. Volume of water is metered for ESG reporting, while the diverse operational flows converge and diverge across the mining site (e.g., tailings pond recovery, barren thickening decant) with chemical inputs and metal outputs along the flow path.

If water is critical to mineral processing, why is the quality of water largely unknown? Water quality data can provide leverage to execute improvements with limited capital investment and enhance performance through proactive implementation of operational changes. Real-time water quality data restores proactive control in operating plants, delivering insights to trim chemicals, perform maintenance, and divert off-specification flows.

Conventional real-time monitoring, including pH, temperature, conductivity and ORP provide excellent metrics for triage, but laboratory samples are required for root cause analysis. Without proper “bloodwork”, water, as the “lifeblood” of the mining operation can lead to performance degradation and, at worst, leads to operational shutdowns and equipment failure. Innovative technology solutions are now available to overcome the time-lags resulting from laboratory sampling, facilitating real-time and in-situ measurement of water chemistry. This is greatly accelerating the analysis required to create meaningful process changes ahead of process upset.

As an example, Watergenics’ ABAIA® delivers real-time water chemistry data, operating within the process matrix and leverages AI/ML to maintain performance in changing water conditions. In gold mining, we have demonstrated improved mine water use efficiency (e.g., decreased freshwater intake) through higher resolution water quality data, while maintaining system performance and compliance. Additional benefits of improved water circularity by delivering water on a fit-for-purpose basis can be realized when water quality data is readily available. Measurements in-process (e.g., high density sludge) have led to meaningful improvements in metal yield as dosing can be adjusted as chemical conditions change in the process.

Advancing the understanding of cause-and-effect across the mining flow sheet begins with better insight into water chemistry. Water is by far the largest chemical input into mining operations worldwide, and its “purity” is by far the most controllable variable that remains surprisingly unmanaged. Whether driven by material gains to profit margins in improving yield, environmental and social governance (compliance, circularity, sustainability), or purely for operational benefits, 21st century water quality solutions have the potential to usher in the next advancement in metallurgy and materials.

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Dr. Liviu Mantescu