Drinking Water from Mine Water Using the HiPRO® Process-Optimum Coal Mine Water Reclamation Plant

Optimum Coal Mine comprises numerous defunct, active and future mining sections, whose activities have a significant impact on surface and groundwater resources. In order for the mine to dontinue with their mining'operations in the catchment, substantial measures were implemented in order to ensure the environmental integrity and economic use of the area's water resources [1]. One of these measures was the construction of the Optimum Coal Mine Water Reclamation Plant (15ML/day Product Water), which uses Keyplan's HiPRO (R) Process to actively treat the excess mine water to drinking water standard. This in-house developed technology makes use of multiple stages of Ultrafiltration and Reverse Osmosis membrane systems which produce super-saturated brine streams, from which sparingly soluble salts may be released in Precipitation Reactors. The following distinctive features of the HiPRO Process were key in its selection as the preferred technology: Large Scale Commercially Proven Sustainable Operation >98% Water Recovery High Quality Drinking Water (SANS highest standard) Minimum Waste Generation Potentially Useful By-products In addition, the HiPRO (R) Process needed to be developed further to cater for the unique attributes of the Optimum Coal Mine water as well as experience learned from previous applications. Most notably was the neutral pH of the mine water feed, which resulted in the removal of the Pretreatment Neutralisation Reactors and inclusion of Ozone for Iron and Manganese oxidation.