Abstract

GREWAR, T.. South Africa's options for mine-impacted water re-use: A review. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. [online]. 2019, vol.119, n.3, pp.321-331. ISSN 2411-9717.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/2019/v119n3a12.

South Africa is a water-scarce country, rated as one of the 30 driest countries in the world. Worryingly, government expects water demand to outstrip supply as early as 2025. The South African government believes that substantial volumes of water can be made available through the reuse of treated mining-impacted water. Currently, however, large volumes of treated mining-impacted water are produced, often with no end use in mind other than discharge or disposal, when these treated effluents may have further uses in applications which are currently and unnecessarily using high-quality water. Treating the wastewaters to levels that meet 'fitness-for-use' guidelines for alternative applications such as agriculture, sanitation, or industrial processes will reduce the treatment cost burden compared to potable water production. The primary conclusion of this review is that the most suitable option for re-using treated mine-impacted water is in agriculture, for irrigation of crops (food, forage, or energy crops), which currently and unnecessarily makes use of the majority of South Africa's high-quality resources or potable water. Other findings include the realization that although guidelines and legislation for water re-use in South Africa exist and are readily available, they tend to be contradictory and confusing in many cases. It is imperative that these ambiguities and incongruities in the available guidelines and legislation for water re-use be clarified and updated swiftly.

Keywords : water re-use; mining-impacted water (MIW); agriculture; acid mine drainage (AMD).

        · text in English     · English ( pdf )