Advanced Water Recycling Solutions for Mines

For over a decade, Hydroflux has been at the forefront of designing, supplying, and supporting water and wastewater treatment plants across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. Our treatment plants are custom designed to meet the specific process and discharge requirements of each project and compliance with environmental standards.

During this period, we have observed a significant rise in the demand for treatment plants capable of producing treated water for reuse, which would otherwise be wasted or discharged to downstream waste or the environment. This trend is particularly pronounced in the mining and infrastructure sectors, where companies are increasingly focused on minimising water consumption and maximising water reuse within their operations.

Hydroflux offers both dedicated recycling plants and upgrades to existing systems, tailored to meet specific reuse requirements. These systems often incorporate a combination of key processes, including:

• Balancing: Providing system buffering and uniformity of feed characteristics
• Clarification: Clarifiers or dissolved air flotation (DAF) systems for solids/liquid separation.
• Filtration: Employing multimedia and activated carbon filtration systems to remove residual solids, heavy metals, organics and hydrocarbons.
• Ion Exchange: Implementing targeted treatment and further polishing such as softening, nitrate removal, and heavy metal reduction.
• Membrane Filtration: Including ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis technologies and turnkey systems.
• Disinfection: Using chemical or UV disinfection systems to ensure microbial safety.

For many mining and infrastructure projects, a combination of HySEP® clarification, HyPURE® multimedia filtration, and chemical disinfection is typically sufficient to produce water suitable for dust suppression and equipment washdown.

Further treatment with HyPURE® activated carbon and HyX™ ion exchange softening is commonly employed to generate higher-quality water for processes that require a clean, raw water supply, such as gland water, chemical batching systems, safety showers, and fire systems.

For high grade process water reuse, further polishing with membrane systems such as HyPURE® NX direct nano-filtration, or HyPURE® Reverse Osmosis can also be employed. A multi-barrier approach is utilised to ensure water remains compliant at all times despite upsets in upstream raw water quality, which can happen from time to time as part of routine mine operations.

Hydroflux’s extensive experience with water reuse systems has enabled us to develop a wide range of solutions across various industries, including modular, temporary, and permanent installations. Some notable recent projects include:

• Mt Weld: Supplied and installed a permanent HyDAF clarification system for the removal of algae and suspended solids in process water, facilitating its reuse in the main processing plant.
• Sydney Metro West: Deployed three temporary water treatment plants across Sydney, incorporating water reuse for dust suppression, washing stations, and concrete casting using HySEP® clarification, HyX™ ion exchange for nutrient and PFAS removal as well as HyPURE® high recovery RO.
• G & K O’Connor: Supplied and installed a permanent HyDAF clarification system to recycle water from an activated sludge plant for reuse as cooling water within a complex product heat treatment system.
• Bundaberg brewed Drinks: Supplied a proprietary HyPURE® UF system for the recovery of waste backwash water for use in the main production process.

Water reuse systems have become integral to modern water treatment processes. As Australia’s leading water treatment company specializing in reuse, Hydroflux is committed to providing advanced, customised solutions for the mining industry and beyond. Contact Hydroflux to discover how we can assist with your next project, ensuring efficient water management and sustainability.

For more information or to discuss your specific needs, please contact us on 09 352 2052 or [email protected]

About the Hydroflux Group

The Hydroflux Group aims to deliver the highest level of engineering and scientific know-how to the emerging issues of sustainability, climate adaptation and environmental protection with a specific focus on water and wastewater.

As part of its vision and mission, Hydroflux has always taken its climate responsibility seriously. In 2022, Hydroflux became Australia’s first water treatment and technology company to achieve Climate Active carbon neutral certification for its organisation and products. It knows that partnering with customers and clients is the most significant impact it can have in its journey. The Group employs over 100 staff and operates throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, with office locations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland, Suva and Portsmouth.