As trade between South Africa and the Czech Republic increases, companies such as Envites are homing in on the South African mining and other markets with sophisticated water treatment systems as well as hydro-separation processes.
In August, Mining Weekly reported that trade relations between the two countries reached $940.7-million in 2011 and South Africa has remained one of the Czech Republic’s most important trading partners since 2004.
Envites recently entered the South African mining market and provides technological units designed for filter press dewater- ing and pressure filtration of industrial suspensions. The systems use a series of filter plates that press together while liquid is pumped through, forcing out the water from the sludge through pipes and leaving a dry filter cake that is discharged once the process is complete.
Envites technical manager Vladimír Vanous says that the South African mining industry needs some extra expertise in the water treatment and neutralisation of acid mine water because of the acid mine drainage problems it faces.
As the company offersflexible technology to suit various client requirements, contaminated underground water can be pumped up, treated, filtered and released back down to the aquifer, therefore solving old problems and improving the environmental impacts of mines.
“The benefits to purifying contaminated water are endless. The most import- ant ones are that mines will keep in line with modern environmental laws and avoid fines, the environ- ment will be protected and the water or filter cakes produced during the filtration process may be usable in other applications and industries,” says Vanous.