Dugald River is a zinc, lead and silver mine development project in North-West Queensland, Australia. When operational, it is positioned as one of the world’s top ten zinc mines. Enviro Concepts, owned by Enviro H2O Pty Ltd, recently completed a project with Epoca Constructions for the Dugald River Mining Project. The project involved building the wastewater treatment plant to treat and recycle 100% of the wash water from the client’s washbay on site.
Project Overview
The scope of the project undertaken by Enviro Concepts included design, manufacture and installation of wastewater treatment facilities. The treated water was sent through our EL-SDAF (Sedimentation Dissolved Air Flotation) unit, deep med media filters and proprietary chemical treatment. The treated water was reused by the heavy-duty water cannons to wash the vehicles on the client’s brand new washbay.
The project included:
- Designing the treatment facility and set the setup of the washbay
- Fabrication of the modular units in our factories
- Factory Assembly and Testing of the units
- Preparing the site for installation
- Delivery on site and installation
- Testing the facility and site mobilization
- Handover and completion of the project
Mapping the project was done between our engineering team and project managers on client site. The scope was changed and design revisited to suit the needs of the project. Once the design was finalised, we started fabricating our modular EL-Sedimentation Dissolved Air Flotation (EL-SDAF) Plant.
The Process
The wash bay facility was designed to clean, degrease and wash off heavy solids, dirt, tar, oil and grease residue from the mining trucks and equipment. Therefore, the wastewater consisted of high levels of solids and hydrocarbons. The wastewater from the wash bay was treated and recycled to meet the requirements for re-use.
When designing the process, the wastewater recycling plant was mapped out in several steps:
- The raw effluent collects into the sediment pit and overflows into the clear well, where it is pumped into the flocculation pipe for pH adjustment, coagulation and flocculation
- The effluent is sent to the Enviro Sedimentation Dissolved Air Flotation (SDAF) to separate solids, oil and grease and to reduce organic and nutrient loading
- Once the clarified water flows into the clarified water tanks, it is pumped into the polisher media filters that removes pollutants from the water down to 3 microns
- The polished water is collected into the recycled water tank where it is disinfected
- The recycled water is sent from the water tank to the water cannons for reuse
- The floated scum consisting of waste oil and grease, and settled sludge is removed by the SDAF, collected and periodically trucked away.
The EL-Sedimentation Dissolved Air Flotation Process
Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) is a clarification process that only relies on the flotation of flocculated particles to the surface. Sedimentation Dissolved Air Flotation (SDAF) is an advanced DAF that combines the advantages and benefits of Dissolved Air Flotation with high rate sedimentation of a Lamella Clarifier to remove suspended solids, BOD, COD, heavy metals, oil and grease from water and wastewater sources.
The Enviro SDAF is a modular, standalone or containerised unit that is pre-engineered, pre-assembled and factory tested. The units can be easily transported on site and installed quickly to start operation. For details of Enviro SDAF, please visit our product page.
Recycling wash down water allows businesses to have an alternative source of clean water. The Enviro EL Recycling system has the capability to produce Class A recycled water and the best source of non-potable water for industrial use.
Project Highlights
On special request, Enviro Concepts also provided a custom designed spray bar system for our client. We also custom designed the water cannon system for the project. All the design and plumbing on their existing wash bay was designed and installed by us.
Andrew Dennis from Epoca Construction said, “I am extremely happy with the entire experience EnviroH2O provided us, from start to finish. They made the design process very easy, guiding us through the design development of a building type we were largely unfamiliar with.”
The completed project had a quick turnaround time. It was completed in 3 months from design to installation to handing over to the client.
Please use this link to download specification sheets for Enviro SDAF and Enviro EL Water Recycling Plant.
If you would like to inquire about our Filtration systems, please send us your query for a free estimate.