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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