Key Projects, Programs and Initiatives
Advanced Separation Process Development and Evaluation for Water Management in Mining Active
The objective of this project is to develop processes that will enable the Canadian mining industry to manage water resources more effectively by maximizing water recovery and recycling and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of water treatment discharge and management. The project supports the Clean Innovation Engagement Strategy and the Water Management priority of the CanmetMINING 5-year research plan.
The project is designed to investigate and identify opportunities for improving water recovery, treatment and recycling in the mining mineral extraction operations as well as to develop, assess and de-risk technologies and processes for recovery and treatment process water streams in operations for mineral extraction.
Some of the technologies that are being investigated and evaluated include pressure driven membrane separation processes such as reverse osmosis, nano- and ultrafiltration, electro technologies such as electrodialysis and electrocoagulation, ceramic membrane based processes as well as vacuum mebrane distillation.
Benefits
The project contributes to reducing the impact of mining operations on Canada’s freshwater resources and helps improve water management in mining and mineral processing mineral processing plant performances such as mineral/metals recovery and concentrate grades.
The project will create processing tools to help mining companies to:
- Improve the recovery and reuse of water - opportunities throughout the mining lifecycle;
- Reduce contaminants discharge into the environment; and
- Improve the capacity for the recycling of water throughout the mineral and metal extraction process with the ultimate goal of a minimal liquid discharge (MLD) operation.
Areas of focus
- Climate Change
- Water Recovery and Recycling
- Flotation
- Mineral Processing
Partners & Collaborators
- Rouchert Inopor
- Hydro-Québec