1. Mine Water Treatment 3.0 Where do we need to go to?
Prof. Dr. habil. Christian Wolkersdorfer Finnish Distinguished Professor for Mine Water Management South African Research Chair for Acid Mine Drainage Treatment
IMWA General Secretary
Mine Water Treatment 3.0
Where do we need to go to?
Green Mining Water Seminar Helsinki

2. Mine Water – a scaling issue Some “nice” mine water examples
Outlay
Mine Water – a scaling issue
Some “nice” mine water examples
Mine Water Management 1.0 – 3.0
A Solution? Not Yet!
Conclusions

3. The Problem! – Really a Problem?
What is Mine Water?
H2O
55.5 mol
Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+
HCO32-, Cl-, SO42-, NO3-
0.5 mol
B, Ba, Fe, Al, Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb U, Ni, Se, REEs
mol
Avogadro Constant
× 1023 mol-1

4. The Problem! – Really a Problem?
Mine Water
55.5 mol
0.5 mol
mol

5. Abandoned Mines and Mine Drainage
Some “nice” examples
drinking water
Everywhere possible
spa water
Bad Suderode/Germany, Feengrotten Saalfeld/Germany, Alexisbad/Harz Mountains, Bad Gastein/Austria
turbine water
Max-Braun-Adit, Biberwier/Tyrol
recreational purposes
Passagem de Mariana Gold mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Banyan Tree Phuket, Thailand

6. Good Examples health spa
Paselstollen, Bad Gastein/Austria | © Gasteiner Heilstollen/GTG

7. Good Examples health spa
Paselstollen, Bad Gastein/Austria | © Gasteiner Heilstollen/GTG

8. Good Examples health spa
Paselstollen, Bad Gastein/Austria

9. Good Examples Drinking Water Supply
Teichtalstollen: Königshütte/Harz Mountains/Germany | Drinking Water Supply

10. Good Examples Drinking Water Supply
Teichtalstollen: Königshütte/Harz Mountains/Germany | Drinking Water Supply

11. Good Examples Electricity Production
Biberwier/Tirol/Austria: Turbine Water (since 1902)

12. Good Examples Electricity Production
Biberwier/Tirol/Austria: Turbine Water (since 1902)

13. Good Examples Recreational Usage
Passagem de Marianna/Brazil: Visitor’s mine

14. Good Examples Visitors’ Mine
Reiche Zeche Freiberg/Germany

15. Good Examples Visitors’ Mine
Reiche Zeche Freiberg/Germany: Rothschönberg drainage adit Yefimochkina | Kugler

16. Lignite Mine Eastern Germany Cooling Water ∫ Drinking Water
Lusatia, Schwarze Pumpe, Germany

17. Lignite Mine Eastern Germany Cooling Water ∫ Drinking Water
Lusatia, Schwarze Pumpe, Germany

18. Lignite Mine Eastern Germany
Lusatia, Schwarze Pumpe, Germany

19. Lignite Mine Eastern Germany Cooling Water ∫ Drinking Water
Lusatia, Schwarze Pumpe, Germany

20. Lignite Mine Eastern Germany Cooling Water ∫ Drinking Water
Lusatia, Schwarze Pumpe, Germany

21. Mine Water Management 1.0 – 3.0
First Applications
Mine Water Management 2.0
Improved Neutralisation Technologies
Mine Water Management 2.5
New technologies
Improved Process Control
Mine Water Management 3.0
Holistic Approach
Valorisation of Mine Water
The Waste Age
Valorisation

22. Mine Water Management 1.0 – 2.5
1859 Upper Silesia/Germany (now Poland)
Liming to neutralise acid mine water (LDS process)
Mine Water Management 2.0
1970 Pennsylvania, USA
Liming and sludge recirculation (HDS Process)
Mine Water Management 2.5
2006 eMmalahleni, South Africa
Membrane Technologies
Ion Exchange Processes
Electronically controlled Operation

23. Mine Water Management 1.0 – 2.5
Receiving Water Course P a s t n d C u r e
Mine Water Treatment 1.0 – 2.5 T h F
Mine Water Treatment 3.0
Collection
Polluted Water
Pumping
Treatment
Sludge D i s p o a l
Brine

24. What is Mine Water Management 3.0
2030 Gauteng, South Africa (?)
Valorisation of Mine Water
Drinking Water
(Semi)-Metals
Electrochemical Methods
Integrative Membrane Technologies
Selective Ion Exchange
Biotechnologies
Improved Process Control
New Sensors/New Materials

25. Mine Water Management 3.0 Mine Water Receiving Water Course P a s t nd C u r e
Mine Water Treatment 1.0 – 2.5 T h F
Mine Water Treatment 3.0
Selective Collection
Clean Water
Enriched Water
Data Transmission
on-line Monitoring
Sampling
Pumping
Geothermal Plant
Energy
Metals
Semimetals
Fertilizers
Winning Operation
Analyses
Data Processing
Drinking Water
Collection
Polluted Water
Pumping
Treatment
Sludge D i s p o a l
Brine

26. Education and Training
Path Forward
Education and Training
Well educated operators
Aware of potential environmental impacts
Know how process operates
Are allowed to make own decisions

27. Integrated Mine Water Management
Path Forward
Integrated Mine Water Management
Recycle
Reuse
Aquifer Storage and Recovery
Surface Storage
Expert Systems

28. Potential Future Technologies
Selective Membrane Technologies
Electrochemical Methods
Selective Ion Exchange
Freeze Crystallization

29. Conclusions – call it “Path Forward” if you want
Mining Companies
Give time for new technology
Authorities
Allow for “non standard” solutions
Researchers
Identify what others “missed”
Consultant Companies
Provide better education for employees
Maintain good literature databases
Recommend intelligent technologies
All of us
Try to become more open minded

30. Reinventing the wheel – again and again

31. Conclusions – Still the Path Forward
Don’t repeat experiments others did before
Find gaps in current technology
Think about technology outside your area and how it can be implemented
Education
Courage and Endurance
Chain of custody for water samples
In situ methods
Perseverance

32. The End!
Thanks and
Glückauf!
Walter Moers Stollentroll

33. Walter Moers Stollentroll