TY - JOUR
T1 - Mine Water Use, Treatment, and Reuse in the United States: A Look at Current Industry Practices and Select Case Studies
AU - Miller, Kaleisha
AU - Bentley, Matthew
AU - Ryan, Joseph
AU - Linden, Karl
AU - Larrison, Caleb
AU - Kienzle, Benjamin
AU - Katz, Lynn
AU - Wilson, Alana
AU - Cox, Jordan
AU - Kurup, Parthiv
AU - Van Allsburg, Kurt
AU - McCall, James
AU - Macknick, Jordan
AU - Talmadge, Michael
AU - Miara, Ariel
AU - Sitterley, Kurban
AU - Evans, Anna
AU - Thirumaran, Kiran
AU - Malhotra, Mini
AU - Garcia Gonzalez, Susana
AU - Stokes Draut, Jennifer
AU - Chellam, Shankararaman
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Mining provides significant economic value while often impacting local water supplies and environments because of freshwater usage and waste disposal practices. This study identifies current practices in mine water, including how water is used in mining, influent and effluent water quality, treatment technologies, and end uses with the goal of informing future research on implementable, reliable, and cost-effective advanced water treatment in the mining sector. This study also reviews the available literature to broadly evaluate mining in the United States and performs a techno-economic assessment on water use and disposal for three detailed case studies applicable to lithium, uranium, and copper mines. These case studies highlight specific industry examples of distinct extraction methods, geographical regions, and mined commodities. Hypothetical scenarios based on case study baselines revealed potential impacts to mine water available for beneficial reuse through the use of novel water treatment technologies and alternate water management strategies. Finally, an assessment of national level impacts resulting from the reuse of treated mine source water is presented.
AB - Mining provides significant economic value while often impacting local water supplies and environments because of freshwater usage and waste disposal practices. This study identifies current practices in mine water, including how water is used in mining, influent and effluent water quality, treatment technologies, and end uses with the goal of informing future research on implementable, reliable, and cost-effective advanced water treatment in the mining sector. This study also reviews the available literature to broadly evaluate mining in the United States and performs a techno-economic assessment on water use and disposal for three detailed case studies applicable to lithium, uranium, and copper mines. These case studies highlight specific industry examples of distinct extraction methods, geographical regions, and mined commodities. Hypothetical scenarios based on case study baselines revealed potential impacts to mine water available for beneficial reuse through the use of novel water treatment technologies and alternate water management strategies. Finally, an assessment of national level impacts resulting from the reuse of treated mine source water is presented.
KW - heap leaching
KW - lithium
KW - mining water
KW - NAWI baseline
KW - techno-economic analysis
KW - uranium
U2 - 10.1021/acsestengg.1c00244
DO - 10.1021/acsestengg.1c00244
M3 - Article
SN - 2690-0645
VL - 2
SP - 391
EP - 408
JO - ACS ES and T Engineering
JF - ACS ES and T Engineering
IS - 3
ER -