Process Engineering

Definitely the core – and fun part – of the process design in the mining industry is the process area (comminution circuit, concentrator, leaching, SX/EW, etc.) and the process engineer jumps into its design with high confidence … ok, let's design the SAG mill based on the geomet model results!

But there is an area that is not taken into immediate attention and without it the governments will not approve the project and it refers to the closure and post closure environmental requirements such as dust control and contaminated water management. This means that, as important as the met lab test work program to optimize the valuable metals, a parallel test program must be carried out to have full knowledge of which contaminants will need to be taken control of. And how. 

Once the process area is closed (after LOM) and, in most cases, dismantled, the process design has to contemplate certain circuits (new or old) that will provide proper treatment to minimize the contaminants to legally allowed levels during the many years of post-closure. This means to analyze all the “how’s” and “where’s”: how to manage the dust in a tailings dam in the long run? How to treat the tailings seepage? Where is the treated water stored? What to do with any rejects? Is staffing required? Where is power obtained from?  And, obviously, all these answers need to be fully detailed to be included in the EIA many months before submittal (should be in parallel to the rest of the process design!). 

If you feel you need support in this area do not hesitate to contact us at contacto@m2p.cl