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Category Archives: Mining

Westgold | Wastewater Treatment Plant

Another pair of Ecofarmer 250 units on deck for one of our mining clients in Western Australia. Arranged in twin train Ecofarmer 250 design with a Class A advanced media polishing packaged to ensure we meet our clients site compliance.

Client: Westgold

Location: Western Australia

Project: Westgold Cue Village WWTP upgrade

Solution: Twin Train Eco250 units with class a polishing package

Industry: Mining

 

BACKGROUND

The current waste water treatment facility situated at Cue Village Westgold needed to be replaced due to age and premature wear on the steel structure.

RWWA was asked to submit a proposal to design and construct a suitable waste water treatment system that suited the site hydraulic and incoming biological nutrient demand that would meet the release criteria as specified by governing body.

The new sewage treatment plant (STP) is designed to provide ongoing reliable service and to minimise maintenance requirements, ensuring ease of operation whilst maintaining reliable effluent quality and daily production.

THE RWWA SOLUTION

CUSTOM BUILT WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT

The site compliance targets are based on standard nutrient with Class A disinfection requiring less that 10 Ecoli per 100 ml of sample. Our Ecofamer SBR solution is packaged and delivered complete with our integral Class A glass media filtration system, that will further filter the supernatant from the sequencing batch reactors (SBR) to a higher class of final effluent, to release to ground.

 

Our glass media design is based on the ‘Drydan Glass,’ a validated and certified media product sold here in Australia. This is a highly refined crushed glass with excellent flux potential, allowing for full rejuvenation through a backwash and chemical clean process that extends to the filtration cycle, as oppose to conventional sand base media.

 

 Our Class A media package is housed in a 20 ft high cube container beside our Ecofarmer treatment units. A dedicated feed pump on the VSD control, will continually recirculate the supernatant fluid over the glass media. Then the flow pace chlorine injection will sanitise the water keeping the media beds at optimal working order, whilst reducing fouling potential free residual oxidant. This will then be monitored and corrected for bacteriological control in the final effluent water body. Once the water has met specification within the chlorine contact residence time, a modulating valve will allow fluid to pass to the irrigation field.

As part of our advanced technology, a centralised Allen Bradley HMI and PLC will engage the operator allowing for full remote access, reducing any unnecessary call out fees.

Results:

The RWWA difference is our unique fabrication process of our engineered certified steel reactors that provide a generous 20 year chassis life guarantee. Our chassis are built from the ground up with 6 mm flat sheet formed and pressed for the walls giving the ultimate in rigidity and corrosion allowance. In addition, a suitable international or Jotun coating is applied to the internal and exterior of the box.

We are committed to providing the highest quality product and service to our customers.

NEED AN INNOVATIVE SYSTEM THAT DOES NOT FAIL?

If you are wanting a wastewater treatment system that works all day every day with the ability of remote monitoring, please call one of our friendly engineering team today to discuss your waste water issues and how we can help.

Engineered waste water treatment plant for the OZ minerals project

RWTS were successfully awarded the head contract to design and construct a suitable engineered waste water treatment plant for the OZ minerals project in Carapateena South Australia.

 

Client: OZ Minerals

Location: Carapateena South Australia

Technology implemented: EcoFarmer 250

Industry: Mining

 

BACKGROUND

The OZ minerals camp design life was for 20 years with a 450 peak manning accommodation and mine services administration facility attached. OZ Minerals required a waste water treatment plant solution to facilitate the accomodation water service needs. The Remote Water Treatment solutions experts designed the arrangement of a containerised Ecofarmer 250 platform. The modular sequence was required to be constructed to accomodate the wastewater for the project over the construction phase into permanent accommodation.

THE RWTS SOLUTION

ECOFARMER 250

To achieve the project scope a centralised johnson wire screened raw sewage drew from the camp. Then screened fluid was transferred to the combined balance holding tank and the sequencing of the SBR trains allowed fluid to enter the biological treatment phase. Treated water chlorinated was dispersed on to the designated land application area. RWTS executed the project within the intended time line and meet all government approvals and certification. South Australia health requirements and submissions strictly state that all tankage must be structurally engineered and process certified. RWTS had the steel fabricated shells engineered and process reviewed certified by third party. RPEQ process engineering team, used sophisticated modelling software to achieve a suitable final effluent stream.

 

RESULTS

All equipment and hardware used on the project was of high standard and supported in the Australian markets giving RWTS clients the peace of mind that the equipment is built and deigned to the highest of standards.

Looking for a waste water treatment plant solution, call us today for assistance.

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Wastewater Treatment Plant and Reverse Osmosis System: Westgold Resources

A wastewater treatment plant and brackish water reverse osmosis system for Westgold Resource’s 200-man remote camp in Western Australia.

 

Client: Westgold Resources

Industry: Mining

Systems: EcoFarmer Wastewater Treatment Plant and Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis System

 

BACKGROUND

Westgold Resources, a top 10 Australian gold producer, recently began operations on their fourth Western Australian project – Cue Gold Operations. In order to manage the wastewater of their 200-man remote accommodation village at the Big Bell Underground Mine, Westgold approached RWTS to design and manufacture a wastewater treatment system. This same site also required a water treatment system to transform he local raw (bore) water into high quality drinking water as deemed by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

 

THE RWTS SOLUTION

EcoFarmer 250 Wastewater Treatment System

Westgold EcoFarmer 250

This project was an ideal candidate for the EcoFarmer 250 Wastewater Treatment Plant which utilises a Sequential Batch Reaction (SBR) process. Although this is a standard process throughout the water treatment industry, RWTS emphasised the functionality of the plant from the initial design stages. Through the seamless collaboration between our in-house engineering and electrical divisions, smart automation was integrated for enhanced productivity with less operator intervention.

How does the automation work?

The plant continually revises code as it observes the plant’s flow. When limited flow is achieved throughout the day, a standby code automatically seizes control of the plant and in peak periods the extended code will drive the plant.

In addition, Westgold Resources will reap the benefits of the EcoFarmer, that come as standard in this turnkey range, including:

 

  • Robust steel construction to withstand harsh, remote environmental conditions
  • Seamless transportability, attributed to the ISO shipping container design
  • Premium Allen Bradley HMI (interface) and PLC control system
  • Biological treatment process pre-approved by state regulatory bodies

 

Guaranteed & Certified Design

The design was accepted with process and structural certification by REPQ.

All stringent Western Australian department of health requirements where achieved, including a 20-year design life on the plant.

The structural steel shell was manufactured sandblasted, primed and painted with an International shipping coating internally. As part of our manufacturing process, spark testing was completed across the vessel to proactively identifying any potential issues with weld and coating. This ensured the integrity of the internal and external coating surface.

Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis System

Westgold Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment System

RWTS designed and manufactured a reverse osmosis potable water treatment system to meet the potable water requirements of the Westgold Big Bell remote workers’ village.

 

Built to Last

As the industry specialist in packaged water treatment systems, we decided to containerise the RO system. This allowed for ease of transportation and protection of the system from harsh rural environmental conditions.

For optimal insulation, the internal plant room was lined with 75 mm foam-filled panelling on the walls and ceiling, and air-conditioning system was integrated to ensure ideal operating temperature through the hotter and cooler months.

 

User-Centred Design and Automation for Streamlined Operation

The treated water recirculation monitoring and dosing control platform was our internal proprietary offering. This specialist feature is able to measure chlorine pH and conductivity, utilising the new range of Burkert flow fit cubes with gateway Ethernet, and display these levels in real-time on the PLC HMI plant platform.

Our internal programming and instrumentation division designed and custom-built the HMI to be single interface of all plant monitoring, streamlining plant observation and operation. This thoughtful feature allows Westgold to reduce operating costs and rapidly identify and respond to any potential issues.

As with all RWTS chemical injection systems, this Westgold system was fitted with Burkert Viton solenoids and Mazzi Venturi systems. Again, these offer fully programmable control through the HMI system, enabling the operator to take control at any time. A

The RWTS Brackish water reverse osmosis design also features flux targeting through flow metering with secondary pressure monitoring. This allows the RO system to maintain flux across the filter elements in permeate and concentrate streams through modulating v-notch ball valves. This is common on large scale membrane projects, however, in the price-driven remote camp market, it is often overlooked, and flows are set with manual tuning valves. This unfortunately is detrimental to the life of the membrane, resulting in more frequent membrane replacements and increasing the long-term operating costs of the plant.

 

Smart Technology for Flexible Monitoring & Control

RWTS uses the latest Allen Bradley HMI and PLC platform for full control of all our plants. These systems have a wireless router allowing for full remote dial-in access through site wifi. This is a must in the ever-changing water and wastewater servicing industry. It allows the plant performance and parameters to be viewed anywhere, anytime. Imagine the ease of troubleshooting over the phone with your site-based operator as you monitor the plant’s performance in real-time. That’s the RWTS difference.

EcoFarmer Sewage Treatment System: Wallumbilla Remote Camp

Slide Slide Slide

RWTS supplied two EcoFarmer 100 sewage treatment system to the Santos’ Wallumbilla remote camp.

These WWTPs were acquired from RWTS’s rental fleet. For more information on the systems we offer for lease, click here.

RWTS installed and commissioned a potable water system and wastewater treatment system to the site.

Treated effluent from the EcoFarmer was re-purposed for use by local farmers to irrigate grass areas for livestock.

Santos Cooper Basin Remote Camp | Wastewater Treatment

Slide Slide Slide EcoFarmer Santos Cooper Basin Internal

RWTS were awarded the contract by client Santos cooper basin projects to deliver an engineered wastewater treatment system catering for their remote camps waste water needs out at Tarbat operations, Queensland.

Client: Santos

Location: Tarbat Queensland.

Technology implemented: EcoFarmer 50

Industry: Mining

BACKGROUND

Due to the ever flocculating camp numbers (as low as 15 to 50 ep), the process of  converting the BOD and Nitrogen loadings placed on the plant was a challenge.

THE RWTS SOLUTION

The RWTS process team overcame the issue by utilising a biological additive yielding 900mg/ kilo of mass dosed through our dosing system set up. The results allow for a constant and stable mixed liquor within the aeration chambers vital to the growth of essential bacteria.

The wastewater treatment system was completed within the confines of an international shipping container, making for seamless road transportation. Built from the ground up and structurally certified, the wastewater treatment system was the perfect fit for the environment. The hand rails and ladder system were compliant to code, thus allowing for safe height access. Furthermore, the turnkey design minimised the commissioning process so allowed the camp to continue business-as-usual operations while the plant was installed for remote camp tenants by 6 pm.

RESULTS

The treated effluent was then dispersed on the lease via sprinkler system and compliant to the overarching Environmentally Relevant Activity (ERA) as set out by the Queensland Department of Health.

Arsenic & Cyanide Wastewater Treatment System: Gold Ridge Mining

Slide Slide Slide wastewater treatment system Slide

RWTS was awarded the contract to build an arsenic and cyanide wastewater treatment system for Gold Ridge Mining Ltd’s St Barbara site in the Solomon Islands.

The site was a tailing storage facility used in a gold production process. The facility was contaminated with levels of cyanide arsenic and other heavy metals.

RWTS build a treatment system in Australia before shipping it to the Solomon Islands for installation. The system included a lime dosing system for pH control, a ferric chlorite injection system to bind particles and a Chlorine dioxide generator for oxidisation and cyanide destruction.

A part of the contract RWTS facilitated the rectification of the storage facility to include rebuilding access and roads, rebuild a chemical storage facility and installation and commissioning of a water treatment system.

RWTS successfully completed the project and the system is currently in full operation.

Wastewater Storage vs. Onsite Wastewater Treatment For Mining

Are you curious as to whether it’s worth investing in onsite wastewater treatment for your project or simply storing wastewater before pumping offsite? We’ve been asked this question time and time again, so we’ve weighed up the pros and cons of each management method to help you decide.

Water management plays an integral role in the seamless day-to-day operations of any remote site, particularly an accommodation camp within the mining sector.

Water is an essential resource when it comes to:

 

  • cooking,
  • cleaning,
  • operating amenities such as showers, taps and toilets,
  • vehicle wash bays,
  • and most importantly, providing safe drinking water.

It’s no mystery then, that wastewater is an inevitable by-product of the extensive water usage on remote sites. In the early stages of planning any accommodation village, the pressing question of how this wastewater will be dealt with arises.

There are two primary options on the table:

1. Integrating an onsite sewage treatment plant

2. Storing wastewater for offsite treatment

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to choosing which option is best suited to your site, but we’ve discussed a few key factors to consider. The table below very generally captures the best option based on these factors.

 

Water Storage vs. Water Treatment Matrix

1. TIME

How long is your site realistically going to be in operation?

Short-term

A short-term site with a lifespan of just 1-8 months will likely see greater benefit in water storage.

Why?

 

  • Reduced capital investment – Any water treatment plant will likely not in operation for long enough to offset the greater investment of such a system.
  • Rapid deployment – Water storage options such as tanks or the WaterBox, offer the advantage of rapid deployment. These are pre-packaged products that can be transported to site on short notice.
  • Environmental approval takes time – A tailored wastewater treatment system requires environmental approval from the state’s environmental regulatory body in order to discharge effluent onsite. This is often a time-intensive process and, depending on the terrain of your site, may not be feasible for your site or project timeline.

Long-term

If your site will be in operation for longer than 8-12 months, looking to an onsite wastewater treatment plant will likely be worth your while.

Why?

 

  • Pump-out fees will be too expensive – Although a more costly investment upfront, by integrating a wastewater treatment system you will be forgoing the costly pump-out fees of transporting your wastewater to an approved discharge location. This may be justified on a short-term project, but over time this will chew through the budget significantly.
  • Treated wastewater can be reused – Depending on your site, the treated wastewater can be used for local irrigation, reducing the demand on potable water.

 

2. Environmental Regulation

Environmental bodies have rigid regulations when it comes to discharging treated wastewater to the land. This can make the process of having a wastewater treatment plant approved a difficult endeavour, and even impossible when the terrain is not permissive of irrigation (e.g. close proximity to a bore, watercourse, wetland or spring).

Should your plans not comply with regulation, wastewater storage may be your only option.

REFERENCE / FURTHER INFORMATION:

 

3. MOBILITY

Mobile

Is your camp likely to be relocating on a regular basis? If so, a wastewater storage solution will be the better option. The WaterBox has been optimised for such circumstances and can be relocated with a 12-tonne forklift or crane. It’s shipping container design also lends it to easy compatibility with any truck/train transport.

Fixed

Wastewater treatment systems tend to be far more difficult to relocate, and commission and decommission. Taking all other factors into consideration, these are far better suited to camps that will be in a fixed location for a prolonged period.

If you are looking for a turnkey wastewater treatment system that can move with your camp, discover the EcoFarmer.

 

4. CAMP SIZE

Similar to the factor of time, the size of your remote camp will impact the volume of wastewater produced.

Small

For a small camp consisting of up to 100 people, less wastewater will generally be produced and therefore, wastewater storage may be more feasible.

Large

For a larger camp accommodating over 100 people, the volume of wastewater produced would likely be in excess of what mere storage could handle. This increased load would lend itself to a wastewater treatment solution being integrated.

 

5. COST

At this point, you’ll understand that many factors will impact the cost of a wastewater management system, but generally:

 

  • for a short-term or mobile project, wastewater storage will be more cost-effective.
  • for a long-term, fixed project, onsite wastewater treatment will be more cost-effective.

Below we’ve outlined the primary costs (other than the cost of the system itself) associated with each option:

Wastewater Storage

 

  • Wastewater pump out – Only licensed liquid waste transport operators can legally transfer wastewater to an external facility. Due to the environmental, public health and workplace safety risks of transporting such high volumes of sewage, the cost of liquid waste removal services can be extremely high.

Wastewater Treatment System 

 

  • System maintenance – A wastewater treatment plant will require regular maintenance to ensure the ongoing efficiency of the system. Neglected plants with built up residue will eventually break down and require expensive repairs or replacement. We recommend a cleaning-in-place (CIP) system to ensure the long-term health of your plant.
  • Chemicals and consumables – In order to treat the wastewater, chemical dosing is generally required. Therefore, there is an ongoing cost of ensuring there is sufficient inventory to keep the system in operation.

 

We’re here to support you

The experienced team at RWTS is always available to guide and support you in developing the best wastewater management system for your project. For a truly tailored approach, get in touch with us today. We’ll handle the complexities of system design, leaving you with a streamlined, user-centred solution.

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