Ensuring Environmental Discharge Compliance for Niobec

The Challenge

Faced with standards that were more demanding in terms of discharge to the environment, Niobec was experiencing difficulty in meeting the standards during the summer months when the phosphorus in the water of their lakes encouraged the proliferation of microscopic algae.

The addition of suspended solids as well as those from the operation of the concentrator and decaying organic matter, caused a slight overshoot of very strict concentrations permitted under the Effluent Regulations Metal Mining (MMER) to the environment

The Solution

Following a test laboratory and pilot testing of the effluent from the mine, Veolia Water Technologies submitted a rental unit for testing large-scale effectiveness Actiflo^® for removal of suspended solids during the summer. The selected water treatment system includes an Actiflo^® ballasted floc unit, and chemical dosing systems, calibration systems, instrumentation and controls specific to the process. Chemicals as well as installation, startup and operation of the unit by a qualified employee of Veolia are also provided with the rental of the system, requiring no maintenance from Niobec.

The Actiflo^® unit, in addition to enabling compliance with environmental standards in the summer, can exercise control over lake levels settling at all times, even during heavy rains. Indeed, the weighted settling can handle a larger volume of water over a wide range of water qualities, despite its low borrows to the ground. The system allows production to 14,000 m³/day of treated water that is then released into the environment.