Wetlands mining | Applied research for the study of passive metal removal

One of the analyses to be performed in the treatment of complex waters, whether from mining or industry, is related to the study of removal routes for target pollutants to support the choice between active and passive treatment routes.

The complexity of mining waters (presence of metals, pH outside the neutral range, high organic matter content, excess of inorganic compounds, etc.) always requires more detailed assessments to define the ideal removal routes and the sizing criteria for treatment processes.

However, one of the characteristics almost always observed in these waters is the high concentration of metals and other inorganic elements. Based on the target element, it is possible to establish, preliminarily, whether the water type can be treated by ACTIVE, PASSIVE and/or COMBINED methods.

Knowing the characteristics of the water and the removal routes (AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC), the Constructed Wetlands Company designs, executes, and monitors bench tests and/or pilot projects to reproduce, under controlled conditions, the configurations required for a likely full-scale system, testing reactive materials, reactor configurations, and operational parameters.

Treatability tests can be performed on-site or off-site, with real or synthetic water (reproducing the characteristics of the expected water) according to the specific possibilities and needs of each context.

In the project in question, the Constructed Wetlands Company developed all the conceptual and detailed engineering for the execution of a pilot system, carrying out the Technical Monitoring of the Works (ATO) of implementation and the Assisted Operation of the system, performing the interpretation of results and constructive and operational adjustments for optimization of the treatment unit. The objective of the pilot system was to investigate the passive removal of barium and manganese.