Reducing the beneficiation wastewater by reusing process water

October 18, 2025

The modern mining industry places significant importance on cost-effective methods that reduce freshwater demand and wastewater discharge in beneficiation processes, particularly in flotation. In this work, ChemFit focused on minimizing water usage and wastewater generation in dressing plants by internally reusing process water within specific stages of the flotation circuit. ChemFit’s results revealed that recycling process water in a locked cycle led to the accumulation of chemical reagents in the water, thereby affecting the flotation performance of valuable minerals and causing a significant decrease in concentrate grade and recovery. However, by adjusting the flotation reagent regimes in response to fluctuations, it was possible to maintain mineral recovery efficiency during the reuse process in a reliable and feasible manner. Industrial-scale tests confirmed that there was no substantial difference in the quality of concentrates obtained with and without process water reuse, as long as the dosage of flotation reagents was carefully adjusted to meet product specifications. The reuse of process water resulted in a reduction of over 18% in the required reagent dosages within the flotation circuit, with sodium sulfide (Na2S) experiencing a particularly sharp decrease of about 20%. Most importantly, the internal reuse of process water within the flotation circuit led to a significant decrease of about 40% in freshwater consumption, reducing it from approximately 5 tons per day to about 3 tons per day. This reduction implies that tons of wastewater would no longer be generated annually. Overall, the proposed internal reuse process offered a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for making the flotation process more sustainable.