Research concept to enhance sustainable, acceptable mining in Finland

Transcription

1 Research concept to enhance sustainable, acceptable mining in Finland Helena Wessman-Jääskeläinen, VTT GEONOR16/NordMin Mining and Environment 17th March, 2016 Mo i Rana, Norway

2 2 SAM (Sustainable Acceptable Mining) intro WHOLE LIFE CYCLE OF MINING INCLUDED SAM ( ) was a part of Finnish nationally funded Green Mining Programme. It was a sustainability project with multi-science approach covering social, environmental and economic impacts: PLANNING PHASE OPERATIONAL PHASE Environment (water) MINE CLOSURE Social acceptance: conflict management, improved dialogue with the stakeholders, communication, regional perspective Impacts of water use, water risk assessment Regional socio-economics and water efficiency Social licence to operate New concepts Foresight, vision and mining industry s roadmap as basis for the research goals Interaction with industry and its stakeholders through several case studies Regional approach International cooperation and research networking

3 3 Foresight vision and roadmap Aim was to create a common vision of global and regional drivers that affect the business climate and sustainability issues in short and long term Identified challenges Lack of proactive environmental technology Means of communication Sustainability in management strategies Lack of global sustainability practices and indicators No environmental basic data exists: datasets for typical processes needed

4 4 Social licence to operate Focus on social management in mines and mining regions and developing communication tools for the respective stakeholders. Kuusamo Case study: Workshop for authorities to discuss the changes in land use due to the use of natural resources Harava-tool Media analysis Study on communication and exploration Benchmarking forest industry New means of dialogue ( Drama case )

5 Benchmark study to forest industry Wessberg et al. 2015, VTT Policy Brief 1/ Good practices for the mining industry, such as those conducted by the Finnish forest industry, would be: 1) developing the co-working with the authorities and seeing strict emission permissions and management systems as beneficial for the industry, 2) increasingly recognising stakeholders and developing communication with them, 3) take advantage of the cooperation within the mining industry sector especially in research and communication, and 4) developing the corporate culture so that social responsibility is an integral part of the production and business making.

6 6 Tools for water risk assessment, measuring environmental impacts of water use Aim is to develop tools and guidelines for environmental management and communication with the stakeholders and authorities. Regional water balance: tool to manage future water risks Ground water check-list: tool to understand the impacts on ground water (for mines, authorities, consultants) Water footprint: tool to communicate on environmental impacts caused by changes in water quality and/or quantity

7 7 Water footprint is a tool to communicate on environmental impacts caused by changes in water quantity and/or quality Water Footprint is a standardized indicator (ISO 14046) for the impacts of water use and quality changes Tells about local/regional impacts Based on value chain thinking A communication tool Case Pyhäsalmi Mine (FQM) The functional unit: t copper anode. The system boundary include: chemicals, materials, energy and fuel production and the smelter

8 8 Water balance Pyhäsalmi site INPUT = OUTPUT MINE AND CONCENTRATION PLANT Mine water PONDS Ponds

9 9 How much fresh water is withdrawn, released and consumed in the value chain? Water availability footprint 38% evaporated 12% integrated to by-products and tailings 11% integrated to concentrate 39% temporarily accumulated in ponds Each ton of produced copper anode product generates a water stress equivalent to 240 liters H 2 0 eq. This is how much other water users would potentially be deprived in Finland 56% of the stress impact of copper anode product is caused by the mine operations, 37% by chemicals and raw materials production (Comparison: Board (Finland) 70 l H 2 0 eq/t, Board (avrg Europe) 370 l H 2 0 eq/t)

10 10 Drivers Drivers for separation technologies in water sector Scarcity of fresh water sources circulation for cost efficient water treatment in order to reach acceptable quality level Cost of energy savings, self-sufficiency, energy production by separation technologies Need for better water quality, in the near future strict limits for wastewater technologies for ion/small molecule separation Lack of raw materials resource recovery (e.g metals, chemicals), recycling Development targets of separation technologies/concepts: Better performance Cost efficiency Less energy intensive Simplicity Robustness Low fouling/scaling tendency

11 11 Possible technologies for mine water purification Technique Chemical precipitation Coagulation - flocculation Biological treatment Membrane filtration Adsorption Ion exchange Description of performance Most used technology, low capital cost and simple operation, high chemicals dosing, high sludge generation and sludge disposal cost, with lime readjustment of ph can be required, interest in emergent chemicals such as ettringite For improved suspended solids removal, sedimentation or filtration needed, simple in operation, high sludge production Aerobic/anaerobic treatment, possible production of metal sulphides, constructed wetlands or basins as passive bioreactors utilize soil and water borne microbes to remove dissolved metals. Small space requirement, high separation, higher costs if membrane fouling/scaling, no toxic solid waste is produced, fate of concentrate needs to be solved Adsorption is best used as a polishing step to avoid rapid usage of adsorbent material, chemicals may be required for media regeneration, low cost and easy operation, waste disposal cost needs to be taken into account High capital cost, low maintenance, ph independent, high cost medium, regeneration creates disposal problem, exclusive ion specific resin to remove arsenic

12 12 Benefits for the mining sector Learning process in regional level Sustainability network for the mining sector in international level: workshops, seminars Practical guidance, monitoring tools, check-lists, tools and practices for social dialogue, calculation data Identification of the environmental impacts on water Communication tools to enhance social licence to operate between mining industry, local authorities and other stakeholders.

13 13 Thank you! Helena Wessman-Jääskeläinen Hanna Kyllönen