Two treatment plants for Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) near Johannesburg have received a boost to their efficiency, thanks to IPR’s innovative SlurrySucker dredging unit.
The problem of AMD has beset historic mining areas around Johannesburg, where water in deep underground mining areas has become contaminated through its contact with broken rock containing sulphur-bearing minerals. As it rises and decants on surface, it poses a serious health risk– and contaminates other water resources.
As part of the treatment process, this highly acidic water is treated with lime and flows through two reactors at the AMD plant, where sediment settles and gradually fills up the concrete channels of each reactor. According to Ruaan Venter, Business Development Manager at IPR, this was causing extensive downtime for the plant, as each reactor had to be emptied of water before the acidic silt could be excavated.
“To allow one reactor to be cleaned, it had to be closed off – reducing plant throughput and placing extra strain on the other reactor,” Venter explains. “The customer needed a solution that would allow them to gain more uptime from the plant, as digging out the silt was disruptive and time consuming.”
