INTELLIGENTMINE WATER MANAGEMENT IMINEWA

LABORATORY OF GREEN CHEMISTRY

Christian WOLKERSDORFERMika SILLANPÄÄ

Laboratory of Green Chem

istry

CONTENT OF PRESENTATION

• What is iMineWa?• Main Goals• The key contents • The main stages • Main tasks • Your participation• Path forward

Laboratory of Green Chem

istryWHAT IS IMINEWA? INTELLIGENT MINE WATER MANAGEMEMT • iMineWa aims to improve current mine water management

technologies by• Improving existing technologies e.g.• Internet of mine water• Technological age of mining

• Implementing existing technologies e.g. • Electrocoagulation• Integrated Membrane technologies

• Researching new technologies e.g.• Valorisation of mine water• New materials• New sensors

Laboratory of Green Chem

istry

MAIN GOALS

• Enhance the technology age of mining• Bring mine water management to next stage• Instead of purifying a waste produce a resource• Getting rid of old habits (e.g. liming)• Enable the mining industry to produce at lower costs and

environmentally friendly• Contribute to valorisation of mine water• Understand the hydrodynamics of flooded mines

Laboratory of Green Chem

istry

MINE WATER – PAST AND CURRENT SITUATION

Collection

Polluted Water

Pumping

TreatmentSludge

Dis

posa

l

Brine

Mine Water

Receiving Water Course

Past

an d

Cur

ren t

Past and Current

iMin

eWa

– T h

e Fu

ture

iMineWa – The Future

Laboratory of Green Chem

istry

INTELLIGENT MINE WATER – THE FUTURE

Collection

Polluted Water

Pumping

TreatmentSludge

Dis

posa

l

Brine

Mine Water

Receiving Water Course

Past

an d

Cur

ren t

Past and Current

iMin

eWa

– T h

e Fu

ture

iMineWa – The Future

Selective Collection Selective Collection

Clean Water Enriched Water

Transmission | RFID

on-line Monitoring Sampling

Pumping Pumping

Geothermal Plant

Energy

Metals

Semimetals

Fertilizers

Winning Operation

Analyses

Data Processing

„Internet of Water“

Laboratory of Green Chem

istry

MAIN CONTENTS

• Extract valuables in the mine water• convert them into commodities using• available and to be developed concepts and techniques

• Use smart technology to manage mine water• underground• during transportation• in the winning process

• Improve tracer techniques • understand the hydrodynamics of mine water

• Improve sensor technology for mine water winning• Use of geothermal energy in the mine water

Laboratory of Green Chem

istry

MAIN STAGES

• Identify gaps in current and past mine water technology• Identify techniques that can be used to extract (semi-)metals from liquid

solutions• Improve mine water tracer techniques• Use various elements of existing technology to extract (semi-)metals from

mine water in the lab and the pilot scale• Implement technique into an operating or abandoned mine in Finland• Improve nano-technology as a means to extract (semi-)metals from

enriched water• Use biotechnology to concentrate the valuables in the mine water• Identify the potential of geothermally using the mine water within the

winning process• Develop improved sensor technologies to control, fine-tune and

communicate the winning process

Laboratory of Green Chem

istry

MAIN TASKS

• Providing a technological concept for managing mine water• “smart technology”

• Installing a pilot plant • winning of valuables in polluted mine water

• Co-operation with international and national partners• Dissemination of knowledge

• short courses • conferences

• Spreading of results • conferences• magazines relevant for the mining industry • SCI listed journals

Laboratory of Green Chem

istry

PATH FORWARD

• Fill the gaps in current mine water management

• From “mine water treatment” to “mine water winning”

• Lets start a paradigm shift

or even

• Let’s initiate a paradigm change

• Together!