WATER MANAGEMENT

XYLEM TRAILER MOUNTED PUMPS, BUILT FOR MINE SITES AND ON ROAD TRANSPORTATION.

CREATING A CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR MINING

WITH A VISION TO USE TECHNOLOGY, TIME AND TALENT TO ADVANCE THE SMARTER USE OF WATER AND LOOK TO A FUTURE WHERE GLOBAL WATER ISSUES DO NOT EXIST, XYLEM HAS LAUNCHED ITS GLOBAL MINING CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE TO SUPPORT AND SOLVE WATER CHALLENGES IN THE MINING INDUSTRY.

Xylem uses the catchphrase ‘We Solve Water,’ a foundation on which its Global Mining Centre of Excellence (CoE) is built on.

The new mining CoE is an assembled team of experts with vast experience on the water cycle in mining.

Global Mining CoE director Paul Gaby says the centre was created to support Xylem’s regional teams to become a water management partner to its customers for all water touch points on a mine site.

“While there are multiple Xylem locations with strong knowledge of mining applications, the mining CoE will also support the collaboration of all the successes and previous learning across the globe in mining,” Gaby tells Australian Mining.

“Mines are under more pressure than ever to reduce their impact on the planet and regulations continue to change. Companies that take a strategic view of water in mining applications have a better chance of turning these systemic challenges into competitive opportunities.”

Gaby says this is where Xylem’s CoE stands out. With key support functions such as application, technical, product integration, product development and design.

He adds that through its team of mining application and design engineers, Xylem can support customers to work through the toughest site water challenges.

“From a basic selection right through to a large complicated application, we can provide support for long-term projects, to tenders or even emergency responses,” he says.

Through global customers and Xylem’s key mining stakeholder feedback, the company aims to develop details of product gaps in mining to build a case from the ground up for development in global research and development (R&D) centres.

Gaby says with the ongoing changes in water management practices, there will be a need to couple Xylem’s offering with varying installation, product and management needs that the CoE can manage internally with experienced design engineers.

“We want to continue developing an intimate knowledge of the mining water cycle, and the voice of customer, to subsequently continue developing new products, technologies and accessories that improve our customers’ experience dealing with water challenges,” he says.

Xylem’s mining industry solutions serve open pit, underground and processing operations.

Gaby says the company is committed to including digital, transport, treatment, monitoring, control and assessment technologies to make mining operators’ jobs easier and their mines safer, reliable and efficient throughout a mine life cycle of exploration, development, operation and reclamation.

As a result, Gaby says Xylem doesn’t just have great products, but great employees with years of experience in mining applications to enable the company to become a water management partner to the client and solve water challenges as they present.

“When new unseen issues present, our team will work in the background to solve the issue to then be available whenever this problem may arise again on a global basis. Being central in support we can also highlight gaps or problems that require product development,” Gaby says.

“We can then work with our research and development teams to develop, improve or combine to find the ultimate solution for our customers.”

As mining is an important industry to Xylem and the Australian economy, Gaby says there is an increased demand in the commodities sector to make environmentally friendly products, focus on environmental social governance and climate change impacts.

He expects the Global Mining CoE to grow and expand into major mining locations across the globe to help solve their water challenges.

“Xylem’s overall goal as a business is partnering with our customers to provide sustainable, clean and affordable water to more people around the world while protecting the environment. All of our customers have environmental, social and governance targets that Xylem can support to achieve,” Gaby says.

With Xylem’s core values around solving water challenges for its customers and the planet, Gaby says the company is excited to see the investment and commitment Xylem is making to the mining industry.

“By partnering with our various stakeholders (customers, suppliers and industry) we are continuously working towards this objective, and we have a team of dedicated and talented employees who share this mission and journey,” he says. “We are here to solve your water challenges.” AM

XYLEM’S FLYGT SUBMERSIBLE PUMP RANGE IS FOR THE MOST CHALLENGING DEWATERING APPLICATIONS.

SOLENIS IS A LEADING SUPPLIER OF SPECIALITY CHEMICALS USED ACROSS MINE SITES GLOBALLY.

TRICKLING UP THE VALUE OF DEWATERING TECHNOLOGY

SOLENIS IS HEADSTRONG ABOUT DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE TAILINGS AND MINERALS PROCESSING SOLUTIONS FOR MINING CUSTOMERS THAT SOLVE PROBLEMS AND SAVE COSTS.

The backbone to any effective mining operation is a comprehensive water management strategy.

Global speciality chemical company Solenis has been involved in water-intensive industries including mining for more than a century, growing into the second largest flocculant manufacturer globally with the recent acquisition of BASF water and paper business.

Tailings management can create a wide range of issues and challenges for mine operators that can impact everything from environmental compliance to running a sustainable operation

With most of Australia’s mine sites located in remote regions, it is vital they conserve as much water as possible due to the costs associated with transporting and commissioning a supply on site.

Solenis technical manager Clive Roscoe says the company’s broad range of water management solutions enable strong compliance with a mining company’s sustainability goals.

“From an environmental perspective security of tailings dams by effective and rapid dewatering of those solids so that you can have a stable tailings storage dam is very critical,” Roscoe says.

“Sustainability in mines means dealing with very remote areas and water conservation within that mine is very critical. If we can assist in recovering more water, it in turn creates a more sustainable operation.”

Solenis now owns and operates Australia’s only Anionic Powder Flocculant manufacturing plant facility at Kwinana, Western Australia. This allows the company to avoid COVID-19 disruptions and provide bespoke chemical solutions to domestic customers without pandemic-related delivery delays.

Along with Solenis’ unique flocculant products, the company has introduced a patented flocculant make down equipment into the mining sector that brings further value to its tailings management program. The Praestospeed 120 is a containerised unit that can produce up to a two per cent flocculant solution.

“We’ve only just brought it to the mining market in Australia,” Solenis mining business development manager Ezra Howie says. “This technology reduces makeup water by 90 per cent and is capable of processing up to 120 kilograms per hour of flocculant powder per hour.

“From market research these units are half the cost of conventional make down plants at this size. Our equipment comes containerised and is totally relocatable.

“We have seen great results with this unit already at our iron ore customers with ROI (return on investment) of six months.”

Solenis is also a market leader in antiscalant chemistry. The company’s strong global research and development department are constantly developing new products to meet industry demands.

Along with the chemistry, it has also introduced a patented scale monitoring analyser to the market.

The Solenis’ OnGuard 3S analyser, which can provide accurate water scale measurements in minerals processing applications in real time through ultrasound technology, is an industry first for the mining sector. “This technology allows for the mine operator to have a window into how their system health is,” Solenis national sales manager Johannes Swart says.

“The analyser measures real-time scale formation with the ability to view this data from anywhere in the world. Our analysers are capable of controlling our chemical pumps to ensure we are maintaining scale control at all times.”

Solenis district manager Andrew Dine says the company has identified a significant opportunity to help customers solve challenging problems in that space.

“We’re not a seller of products, we’re very much focussed on customer problems and utilising our expertise and technologies to solve the problems.,” Dine says.

“We’re very adaptive and will adapt product technologies to meet the specific problems and issues the customer has. We’re willing to invest in research and development to come up with those solutions, so we like the fact that we’re very a customer-focussed organisation as we’re about providing solutions.”

Solenis has strong ambitions for the years to come including increasing its involvement in Australia’s mining industry.

The company has grown threefold in the last few years and aims to be Australia’s leading speciality chemicals supplier.

With a strong track record of improving water recoveries in tailings storage facilities and the ability to manufacture products locally for customer requirements, Solenis is on track to continue delivering positive results for mining operations. AM