Skip to main content
Contact Us
Return to case studies

Goiás State, Brazil Copper & Gold Mine – Water Evaporation Solution

Brazillian gold and copper mine water evaporation solution

This open pit copper and gold mine producing high-quality copper concentrate needed a complete water management solution. The mine is located in Goiás State, Brazil, just 4km from nearby community, Alto Horizonte. First commissioned in 2007 and currently producing between 43,000 and 48,000 t of copper and 55,000 and 60,000 oz of gold per year, the mine currently has three open pits which they plan to ultimately combine into a large single pit.

Our client needed to mitigate the risk of water impacting on their production and as such the site urgently required a water management solution that could deliver both dewatering for their central pit and effluent management for their Tailings Storage Facility (TSF). The need was a direct result of Goiás’ tropical climate and subsequent high rainfall totaling on average 1500mm (59.1 inches) annually. A failure to address the site’s water volume presented extreme potential economic, environmental, regulatory, and social ramifications for our client This included potential loss of production and revenue, possible site shutdown, fines, non-compliance, and a potential environmental incident.

Location – Goiás State, Brazil
Type – Water Management
Industry – Gold and Copper mine
Product – 22 x  Land Based Water Evaporators
Volume throughput m3 + GPM – 2,970 m3/hour (13,200 GPM)
Application – Pit Dewatering

Results

The Minetek team successfully designed, manufactured, and installed a system of 10 x Stainless Steel Water Evaporator Units plus a heavy-duty pumping system that was fully automated and integrated into the power plant’s operating system. The evaporators can evaporate water with a pH level ranging from 1.8 to 14+, including brine water. When operating 24 hours a day, the mechanical evaporation system evaporates more than 2.9 million gallons of brine wastewater per day. In line with the client's urgent need for the water management system, Minetek's complete system package was delivered multiple weeks ahead of schedule. Minetek project specialists provided installation support and worked with the power plant personnel to successfully commission the system.

The enormous evaporation capability that Minetek's water management system offers to our power station client allows them to effectively manage brine water, despite a limited operating window.

Duane Thompson, Water Manager, Minetek

Download the full Case Study