Container with mobile BFI test plant for desalination and laboratory container at a field trial

MiningWater – Mining water recovery using innovative technologies for saving fresh water

Initial situation

  • Conflicts of water use due to increasing water demand from population growth and industrial development combined with inadequate wastewater treatment
  • Loses of water and valuable material due to wastewater collection in tailing ponds in phosphate mining
  • Previous solutions technically and economically unsuccessful due to complex and varying wastewater compositions

Project objectives

  • Reduction of freshwater demand through water recovery from mining wastewater using the example of phosphate mining
  • Increased added value by recycling of occurring concentrates
  • Water savings potential: 3 million m³ of water per year and mine – factor 40 if transferred to phosphate mines in Middle East and North Africa
  • Partial decoupling of production and freshwater by use of combination of innovative and robust process technologies

Innovative approaches

  • Separation of phosphate-containing solids in µm range in corrosive wastewater using energy-efficient ceramic flat sheet membranes with high permeate fluxes
  • Separation of polyvalent ions (e.g. sulphate) using new types of suitable resins and selective nanofiltration membranes
  • Separation of chlorides using low-cost polymer membranes or flexible membrane-assisted capacitive deionisation (MCDI)
  • Additional value creation through valorisation of phosphate-containing solids and sulphates from concentrates produced

 

Project data
Grant number: 02WME1611
Project duration: 07/2021 – 06/2024
Project Management Agency: Projektträger Karlsruhe (PTKA) – Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Funding provider: Federal Ministry of Education and Research

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