Piping solution combats mine wastewater contamination
To eliminate the risk of mine wastewater contaminating the country’s water systems, mine operators should use corrosive-resistant glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) piping when transferring toxic water, says industrial water cooling tower solutions provider Industrial Water Cooling (IWC).
Mine wastewater, a highly toxic cocktail of organic compounds with high concentrations of sulfate, silica, iron and other toxic metals, and acid mine drainage (AMD), are two major sources of water contamination in South Africa, the company says.
AMD is characterised by low pH, high salinity levels, elevated concentrations of sulphate, iron, aluminium and manganese, high levels of toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, cobalt, copper, molybdenum and zinc, and sometimes deadly radionuclides.
IWC CEO Roger Rusch notes that GRP pipes are inherently resistant to galvanic and electrolytic corrosion making them the only real piping solution for mine wastewater transportation and effective AMD management.
“With low potential for leaks caused by corrosion, GRP pipes significantly reduce the risk of contaminants entering South Africa’s water system.
“The resins used to manufacture GRP pipes provide a natural resistance of 1 pH to 10 pH making them suitable to use in the desalination and reverse osmosis processes of wastewater treatment. “Further, since the hydraulic characteristics of these durable pipes remain constant over time, there is no need for additional linings, coatings or cathode protection,” he states.
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