Water Innovation Presented to Chilean Delegation for Sustainable Mining

Water Innovation Presented to Chilean Delegation for Sustainable Mining

Having yielded superb results in agriculture (water savings, increased production) and buildings (unclogging and limescale removal), Planet Horizons’ Aqua4D technology is drawing interest from industrial sectors to see how this innovation can increase sustainability and efficiencies. A case in point: the burgeoning green mining sector.

With this in mind, Aqua4D was invited to present to a Chilean delegation at a recent S-GE event at the ETH in Zürich.

Also present were various Chilean mining companies, University of Chile, the Professorship of Renewable Energy Carriers (PREC), and an array of Swiss companies (water, wind, energy, measuring systems) presenting their solutions for a greener mining industry.

For a while now, Aqua4D has been garnering interest from the Chilean mining sector to look at how its significant water savings in agriculture (up to 30%) can be applied to mining, where huge amounts of water are used. In Chile especially, the industry has recently come under significant pressure to increase water efficiency, as mines are located in already water-scarce regions.

Aqua4D’s Patrick Rosat told the delegation of six particular ways Aqua4D could be applied to mining, and preliminary results performed by Rodrigo Cortés at the AMTC (Advanced Mining Technology Center) which showed a 50% increase in fluid transportation. Several companies present a leading medium-sized copper mining firm, demonstrated a strong interest in taking this further by testing in the field. A visit to their plant near Copiapó is planned in the near future.

The six potential impacts of Aqua4D application in the mining sector are as follows:

1. Inlay retarder in concentrates

Expected impact: decrease in pipeline maintenance

2. Rheological Modifier

Expected impact: improvements in transport, greater water recovery

3. Preparation of flocculant

Expected impact: decrease in flocculant consumption

4. Reprocess water treatment

Expected impact: impact on flotation processes (to be evaluated)

5. Irrigation for leaching batteries

Expected impact: reduced irrigation time and increased recovery

6. Mine dust suppressor

Expected impact: better water absorption on roads, less water consumption.

Aqua4D is confident its technology can revolutionize water consumption in the mining sector in the same way it has transformed irrigation practices through improved water use efficiency in over 40 countries. The company is currently seeking financial collaboration or external investment, in order to finance the next stages of the feasibility research.

ETH in Zürich