Water is a primary commodity for most industrial processes. It has become a global focus in light of climate change and population growth. Reuse of process water has two major benefits — minimize the amount of fresh water added now and minimize the amount of discharge water that requires treatment later.
Mining and mine product processing has its share of reused water. For example, reclaim water from a tailings impoundment, overflow from thickeners and leach solution to raffinate and back again all demonstrate the use and reuse of water in mining circuits. Eventually, a mine reduces production or ceases operations completely, eliminating the option to reuse the impacted water and, thus, requires treatment of the remaining water.
