Weeefiner and Sensmet, two Finnish technology companies, are developing a groundbreaking water purification system for environmental sustainability. They attempt to selectively extract metals from mining-impacted rivers and handle end-of-life mining site issues.
Rio Tinto Group’s sustainable water treatment challenge program funded this groundbreaking development effort, showing the industry’s acknowledgment of the need for new solutions.
Former mines have long threatened local water supplies. Water treatment technologies have been used to protect the environment, although their efficacy and cost vary. Weeefiner and Sensmet want to change this environment with an Intelligent Recovery Unit (IRU) that improves process efficiency and selectively recovers key minerals and rare earth metals.
Weeefiner will recover metal and purify water, while Sensmet will offer online measurement technologies for continuous process management.
Weeefiner, a circular economy company, has developed water treatment systems that recover dissolved materials simultaneously. Weeefiner’s 4D Scavenger® technology might revolutionize water treatment across sectors. Weeefiner wants to use this technology for mining in the IRU project.
“Current water treatment methods at mining sites rely on decontamination through precipitation, which involves extensive chemical usage such as lime, resulting in a significant carbon footprint,” says Weeefiner CEO Mikko Hänninen.
This procedure also creates contaminated sludge, making disposal difficult. Weeefiner’s highly selective 4D Scavenger technology targets and extracts dissolved metals for reuse, easing downstream water treatment. Mining sites may now fulfill legal standards and provide sustainable raw resources.”
Continuous monitoring and control maximize IRU performance. Sensmet’s μDOES® analyser quantifies dissolved metal concentrations, including Ni, Co, Li, Mn, and Cu, in real time.
The μDOES® analyser streamlines measurement while providing laboratory ICP-OES performance in harsh industrial circumstances. It monitors metal concentrations before and after treatment to optimize the IRU automatically.
“Previously, our technology has proven its benefits in real-time analysis of metal concentrations in battery recycling and production processes, resulting in increased efficiency, reduced costs, higher output, and improved product quality,” says Sensmet CEO Dr.
Toni Laurila of the μDOES® analyzer. Our cutting-edge analytical technology benefits many businesses that need real-time, high-quality on-site analysis. We are delighted that the IRU cooperation is using our analytical technologies to enhance strategic metal recovery while reducing environmental effect.”
Rio Tinto funded the IRU study through its “Mine-influenced water – sustainable water treatment challenge” program to identify sustainable mine-impacted water treatment options. Weeefiner and Sensmet received up to US$2 million in co-funding over three years.