Modern Mining August 2019

WATER TREATMENT

Reducing the footprint of industrial water users

The impact of these types of water use is sig- nificant, as evidenced by the water shortage during Cape Town’s recent drought. The lack of available water was exacerbated by huge quantities of water devoured by industry. Additionally, untreated water discharged into the environment can have severe consequences – acid mine drainage being only one example. South Africa is a water scarce country, and a lot more should be done to preserve the resource. A far greater emphasis on water management and water reuse is required. To this end, Veolia offers tailored industrial water treatment packages for industry. These include water treatment and water reuse solutions for the automotive, food and beverage, mining, petrochemi- cal, pharmaceutical, power, pulp and paper, and steel industries. As a provider of environmental solu- tions for water treatment, Veolia installs specialised industrial water treatment equipment – including the appropriate chemical solutions, with operation and

Industrial water use in South Africa is on the rise. This is due to an increase in industrial sector companies, newer production processes requiring additional water, and a lack of water reuse initiatives.

T he major heavy industries require complex water treatment processes as part of their operational requirements. In many instances, these facilities are often quite old, which could impact downstream operations. Effluent treatment facilities for industrial water treatment are usually complex, expensive and take significant timeframes to implement. Heavy indus- tries are also more in the spotlight than small to medium industries with regards to effluent discharge. The raw water treatment processes are typically well established for the smaller to medium industries, and current legalisation allows these industries to dis- charge effluent to sewer with only limited penalties.

Heavy industry consumes huge quantities of water. The Durban Water Recycling Project plant reclaims up to 47,5 Ml of wastewater every day, treating it to industrial process water standards. This can be duplicated in other areas to reduce raw water intake.

36  MODERN MINING  August 2019