Mining Industry

Veolia Water Technologies is the water treatment specialist. Our expertise guarantees the complete management of the entire water cycle – a vital component for the smooth operation of our customers’ businesses in the mining industry. Our solutions are specifically customised to meet both environmental and economic objectives.

Veolia Water Technologies: a mining industry partner

The mining industry is a sector particularly concerned with the efficient use of water. The problem is twofold: how to manage the water resources well while also optimising reuse of them. It is also necessary to treat pollutant effluents effectively so that no toxic substances are released into the natural environment.

With its 9,000 employees around the world and its 350 proprietary water technologies, Veolia Water Technologies is considered to be a partner recognised for its know-how, which meets all of the expectations of the sector.

Veolia Water Technologies produces:

  • drinking water;
  • desalinated water for isolated sites;
  • process water; and
  • advanced wastewater treatment solutions.

This means that Veolia Water Technologies' partners find competitive advantages through synergies made possible by water technologies. A fine and balanced analysis of the environmental impact and a circular economy logic are firmly etched into Veolia Water Technologies' sustainable development values.
 

Veolia Water Technologies analyses your environmental impact


Pollution measurement tools developed by Veolia Water Technologies are becoming ever more precise. We measure the carbon cost of our customers' activities, their CO2 emissions and their water footprints based on locally available resources.
 

Veolia Water Technologies’ technical solutions

We provide our mining industry customers with a wide range of services:

  • detailed preliminary engineering;
  • standard and customised water treatment equipment;
  • project management;
  • design phases;
  • construction phases, and
  • maintenance of our facilities for operation under the best possible conditions.

With our international experience, we at Veolia Water Technologies are well versed in the key issues related to water use in mining projects, and we thus offer perfectly adapted solutions for water treatment. We ensure the elimination of a wide range of pollutants, including:

  •  heavy metals;
  • arsenic;
  • suspended solids (SSs);
  • organic materials;
  • iron; and
  • manganese and specific ions.

 

Our supporting technologies for the mining sector

Veolia Water Technologies offers specialised systems for the treatment of water. Our in-depth knowledge of the mining industry’s requirements enables us to offer the best technologies to customers and, through consultation, create standard and customised solutions that meet their needs for the best price.
 

HPD® evaporation and crystallisation technologies

Our range of HPD® technologies, specialising in evaporation and crystallisation, is specifically tailored to the water treatment needs of the mining industry. HPD® systems are often used for:

  • extracting evaporites;
  • extraction by dissolving; and
  • recovering by-products from water treatment processes.

These systems are used for:

  • extracting oxalates;
  • extracting co-products;
  • refining;
  • evaporating alumina liquor;
  • crystallising nickel, lithium, zinc and magnesium salts; and
  • crystallising various products of vanadium, tungsten, copper and molybdenum.
     

Veolia Water Technologies treats North American Lithium Inc. effluents


Veolia Water Technologies provides the exclusive HPD® crystallisation and evaporation technology for recovering lithium and effluents at the La Corne operation in Quebec, for the North American Lithium Mining Group Inc. Our advanced technologies reduce the environmental impact of this activity while generating a by-product of sodium sulphate and increasing lithium recovery.

AMDRO®: our technology to treat acidic effluents

Our acid mine drainage system is a patented technology for the desalination of acidic wastewater containing high levels of metal and calcium salts. This technology is associated with our Actiflo® process, that generates efficiently treated effluents through reverse osmosis and ion exchange processes.

Our AMDRO® technology is particularly suited to the coal and phosphate mining industries. It makes it possible:

  • to treat effluents resulting from mine drainage;
  • to treat acidic industrial wastewater; and
  • to treat wastewater having high hydrochloric acid concentrations. 

Compared to traditional solutions, this process significantly reduces the need for chemicals. Its efficiency also reduces the cleaning frequency of the reverse osmosis membrane.

Veolia Water Technologies: a Coldeco partner


In Chile, Veolia Water Technologies is a partner of Coldeco on the El Teniente site. Our group processes 3 million cubic meters of water a year to recover more than 1,600 tons of copper. Our facilities recover concentrated solutions of copper for revaluation by electrolytic extraction.

Veolia Water Technologies is the world leader in water treatment. We offer a full range of services for the needs of mining industries. Present in all major mining countries, we have built trusting relationships with our partners. We guarantee facilities that comply with ecological regulations while ensuring they achieve their business objectives.