Tshwane University...

Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria South Africa (TUT) sent a detailed proposal to the national research foundation. This was in correlation with TUT becoming the “research hub responsive to the challenges of the continent.” In 2007 TUT was already on board with two projects facing the challenges of developing technologies to neutralize and desalinate acid mine water. In this proposal TUT document on the benefits of finding a proper solution to acid mine water and implementing it. The way the documents solution is worded is more like a business adventure not an environmental clean up. The “benefits” of cleaning up a mess that is impacting not only the water and land but also putting human lives at stake.  These benefits include obviously a cleaner healthier environment, the health of the population, growth in the economy, job creation, commercial potential through the encouragement of entrepreneurs and therefore local and international investment potential. The whole proposal is structured more towards the monetary value of acid mine water than the actual problem. This is a problem not only South Africa holds but also it happens worldwide. There is no interest in solving a problem unless money is to be made from it or unless someone can benefit in some way or the other.

TUT’s primary focus was research on acid mine water treatment before it begins oxidization and impacting on a large scale. This aim is pretty pointless as already as illustrated South Africa is in a crisis with acid mine water and the instant reaction should be how to move forward and protect the land and the people of today and the future without causing detrimental costs in regards to the actual solution and the mining industry. This is a hard decision to make as the balance with the problem and the solution has many ripple effects on the prices of coal, water and any industries relating to these two vital natural commodities. The outcomes of the issues of the ‘multiply effect’ will be brought to light at the WISA conference held on the 5^th to the 9^th of may 2012 in Cape Town.

The second aim for TUT was to develop a desalination process. The university came up with a four strep plan.

“ 1. Encourage mining activities, to stimulate job creation. The pumping cost and dissolved solids content resulting from contact between water and ore strata should be offset by the value of the minerals mined, the treated water and dissolved by-products reclaimed from the mine water.

2. Implement limestone neutralization immediately for removal of free acid, iron and partial desalination. This should be combined with lime treatment for removal of toxic heavy metals and radioactivity, with the aim of protecting the environment, the health of humans and animals and as pre-treatment to desalination when the latter is implemented. In the case of Grootvlei Mine, water is already neutralized due to natural attenuation underground. Passive treatment should be investigated for removal of iron as an alternative to the current lime/aeration treatment.

3. Implement desalination of mine water to meet the expected demand for increased water resources by 2014. The most suitable technology should be selected using criteria based on capital and running costs, performance, process stability, and the nature of waste and brines generated that require disposal.

4. In areas where no further mining will take place, each basin must be investigated as to whether mine water should be allowed to fill underground voids to the decant level in order to prevent major leaching of the strata with which the water is in contact as a result of,

a. Dissolution of limestone/dolomite to its solubility level in fresh ingress water;

b. Pyrites oxidation as a result of ingress water passing through broken rock; and

c. Reciprocating contact of pyrites-rich ore with water and oxygen as the water level fluctuates from water being pumped out at a constant rate while the incoming water flow-rate fluctuates with seasonal rainfall. Alternatively, whether mine water should be pumped out to maintain the level at a certain depth with the aim of:

a. Allowing future mining and the protection of tourist sites.

b. Protecting ground water from being contaminated with acid mine water.

c. Providing flow-equalization storage areas in sub-surface voids to allow a constant feed rate to the treatment plant. Alternatively, such storage facilities (e.g. ponds) should be constructed on the surface.”  (South African Research Chairs Initiative. September 2011).