OHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) - Acid mine drainage (AMD) and, more specifically, a solution to AMD, have developed into a hot debate since the first decant of this toxic water became evident in 2002.
AMD has been described as one of the most serious and potentially enduring environmental problems for the mining industry and, if left unchecked, could result in long-term water-quality impacts that could well be the South African mining industry's most harmful legacy.
Government is a significant stakeholder in the selection of an appropriate and economical solution to the problem; however, to date, it has yet to sign off on a suitable project. Expectations are that government should make a decision within the next couple of weeks.
One of the options being debated is the Western Utilities Corporation (WUC) project. WUC was commissioned by relevant mining companies in the affected areas to develop a holistic, integrated plan for the treatment of the AMD in the three geological structural basins in Gauteng.
The company developed a five-point plan that includes securing sufficient AMD to feed large-scale water treatment plants on an ongoing basis; the investigation and selection of suitable technology to treat AMD to produce drinking and industrial water, complying with all legal requirements; securing long-term, large-scale users for the drinking and industrial water produced; and raising funding for the project.
The project intends to implement the alkali-barium-calcium process developed by South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to treat AMD and produce drinking and industrial water.
Critical milestones for the pro- ject include the submission of its environmental-impact assessment to the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in October 2009 - the project is awaiting author-isation for this by the Department of Water Affairs by December 2009.
WUC MD Jaco Schoeman says that, while the estimated cost of implementing the WUC solution is more than R2-billion, mining companies associated with the Western, Eastern and Central basins of Gauteng have already committed substantial existing infrastructure worth more than R500-million to the project.
