BQE Water has reported that a new full scale Selen-IX™ plant at the Coeur Wharf mine in South Dakota, USA, has passed the performance test and began routine operation, setting a record time for implementation of 20 months between the design engineering kick-off to the discharge of on-spec water into the environment.
The plant is designed to treat between 150-400 gallons (568-1,514 litres) of influent water per minute, removing selenium to a discharge limit of less than 5 ppb (parts per billion). The performance test was very thorough and involved plant operation at the minimum, nominal and maximum flow rates and selenium concentrations artificially spiked to double the current and historical levels, BQE noted. The plant has now entered routine operations under long-term support from BQE Water to ensure that the plant continues to perform and comply with regulatory requirements.
Selen-IX was selected for this project over biological selenium reduction systems due to several factors including: ability to avoid reliance on dilution by meeting the in-stream limit directly at the end of pipe, performance unaffected by cold water temperatures, ability to operate in intermittent mode, ability to handle large and rapid fluctuations in feed flow and minimisation of residue management costs.
David Kratochvil, President & CEO of BQE Water, said: “I am very proud of our technical team for delivering yet another Selen-IX plant safely and in record time. The project showcases BQE Water’s agility and the capability of the patented Selen-IX technology which enabled the mine site to start discharging clean water into environment in 20 months from the start of engineering. This would not have been possible without close collaboration and major support received from Coeur’s team, and we are grateful for all their efforts.”
Jasmine McCauley, Environmental Manager of Coeur Mining, added: “The selenium removal project is an important part of Coeur’s commitment to environmental protection. We truly appreciate BQE Water’s expertise and capabilities to meet our environmental commitments quickly and we look forward to continuing to work with BQE as our technical partner.”
