Using Waste Brine from Desalination Plant as a Source of Industrial Water in Copper Mining Industry

Abstract

One of the main challenges of seawater desalination is a large volume of waste brine production that is commonly discharged into the sea and may threaten the marine ecosystem. This is critical in regions where conventional water resources are scarce and desalinated seawater is an alternative to meet water demand. Especially in regions where the mining industry is a key player in the economic development. The novelty of this research consists in the determination of the potential use of waste brine, discharged from the reverse osmosis process, as a source of industrial water in copper mining industry. To enable the waste brine applicability, there should be reduced calcium and magnesium ions concentration for improving copper recovery in the froth flotation process. The flotation tests were conducted in a batch cell with synthetic minerals composed of chalcopyrite, kaolinite, and quartz using different water qualities. The results showed that treated waste brine significantly improved copper recovery compared to untreated waste brine and seawater. Similar copper recovery was achieved when flotation test was performed with tap water and treated waste brine. Therefore, treated waste brine could provide a suitable water quality required in the froth flotation process as an alternative non-conventional water resource.

Afforesting arid land with renewable electricity and desalination to mitigate climate change

“…In addition to mineral recovery, existing industrial processes can be used to extract chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid, which are used within the desalination plants themselves and in other various applications 35 . The use of treated brine discharge as an unconventional water source for the copper industry in Chile has also been demonstrated 36 . The use of brine discharge will further contribute to the reduction in costs of desalinated water.…”

Natural Resource Optimization and Sustainability in Society 5.0: A Comprehensive Review

“…Copper: Copper's journey, known for its excellent conductivity, is essential in a myriad of applications, from electrical wiring to renewable energy systems. Chile, as the largest copper producer with a production of 5.7 million metric tons in 2020, plays a crucial role in this narrative [43]. Peru follows, adding its significant contribution to the global copper saga.…”

Selective Calcium Removal at Near-Ambient Temperature in a Multimineral Recovery Process from Seawater Reverse Osmosis Synthetic Brine and Ex Ante Life Cycle Assessment

“…The inorganic salts-properly referred to as "scaling"-are related to the precipitation of sparingly Ca-soluble salts, such as CaCO 3 (s) and CaSO 4 •2H 2 O [18]. When brine from RO plants was tested as a source of industrial water in the copper mining industry, the removal of and reduction in the calcium and magnesium ion concentration were also required to improve the copper recovery in the flotation process [19]. Magnesium and calcium removal in sequence was also studied in the pretreatment of desalination brine before subjecting it to electrolysis [20,21].…”