Reverse osmosis protection
THE dry and arid conditions faced by many miners in the Australian mining industry can make the sourcing and use of water particularly problematic.
Hardrock mining uses water at every stage, and the Golden Grove copper-zinc mine near Geraldton, WA, is no different.
The mine has been in operation for 27 years, and its mine life has more than 10 years in reserve.
The 17.1mt resource consists of zinc ore, 22.2mt of copper ore and 0.2mt of gold oxide, and its throughput is about 1.3mtpa, producing three separate saleable concentrates via standard froth flotation which can be water-intensive.
So, when the Golden Grove mine required a new reverse osmosis water treatment plant, it called on DMI-65 to ensure sustainable, clean and safe portable water for the mine and its accommodation village.
The mine consists of a 720-room accommodation village and two underground mines: Gossal Hill and Scuddles.
DMI-65’s solution was to replace the existing hired reverse osmosis water treatment units with two M83 Vantage RO units operating in parallel to provide water compliant with Australian drinking water guidelines.
DMI-65’s catalytic filter media is infused technology, not merely a surface coating.
The revolutionary infusion technology catalytic filtration media is designed for the removal of iron and manganese without the use of potassium permanganate.
The micro-structure of DMI-65 is able to efficiently remove dissolved iron to as low as 0.001ppm and manganese 0.001ppm.
DMI-65 has been used extensively across a wide range of industries for more than 30 years.
This means it allows for a high oxidisation rate and superior performance in the removal of iron, manganese, aluminium and arsenic from water.
The company installed PTI filters prior to the RO skids, and the overall system to produce permeate of TDS less than 500mg/l.
The skids were all factory tested for ease of start-up.
DMI-65 was able to optimise the water treatment plant’s capabilities to provide 600kl per day of potable water inside a shed for protection from the elements, and major ancillaries included two RO skids with CIP clean, two filers, chemical dosing systems and a control panel.
More information: www.dmi65.com.