Technology

Water pressureEssential, long-undervalued and in some locations increasingly scarce, the water that flows in and out of operations in the service of mineral processing is a growing preoccupation for miners

Essential, long-undervalued and in some locations increasingly scarce, the water that flows in and out of operations in the service of mineral processing is a growing preoccupation for miners

By Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco

November 25, 2019

Vale's beneficiation plant in Canaã dos Carajás, Pará, Brazil, uses dry ore processing. Photo: Ricardo Teles/Courtesy of Vale

Last August, Centennial Coal in Australia had to transport 725,000 litres of water by rail from one of its mines 40 kilometres down the line to another one in a drought-stricken area to avoid having to shut it down. In January, the poor management of waterlogged tailings in Brazil resulted in the deaths of at least 249 people.

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