Water scarcity is a challenge globally, and miners are not exempt. Freshwater is critical to the mining process and is a precious commodity that we must protect.
Water is vitally important to sustainable development. The first step to preserving water, an essential resource on the planet, explains Dassault Systèmes Vice-Chairman and CEO Bernard Charlès, is to reduce the water footprint of the industries that provide the goods and services we use every day.
Mining companies cannot extract the metals and minerals we need without a reliable, sustainable water source. Water is essential for mineral processing and transporting rock material as a slurry and to suppress dust on mine sites. Mining operations usually use groundwater, streams, rivers and lakes, or commercial water service suppliers, but these are not available in some cases. Thankfully, mining operations can use slightly salty water, unfit to drink but fit for mining purposes.
Processing raw seawater was the option chosen to supply water to the Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) project in Northern Chile, one of the world’s largest … To continue reading the full exclusive article in the GEOVIA Community – the Sustainable Mining Network. Please CLICK HERE.
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