The EPSE™ Method revolutionises hazardous wastewater treatment in Africa

Hazardous wastewater treatment is essential for mining and heavy-duty industrial applications. Used in mineral processing to recover valuable metals from ore, water is critical to the mining industry. However, using water in this way causes mineral contaminants and other solids to accumulate in the process water supply. This leads to contaminated mining wastewater that without treatment cannot be reused or returned into the environment due to community health concerns and environmental regulations. As such, mining operations need to have a consistent and reliable source of clean water to keep business running.

While some mining operations may choose to pay an outside company to transport the wastewater, hauling waste sludge is inefficient and costly. Retention ponds are also an option, but they lose their effectiveness over time as they become dirtier, leading to a bad Return-on-Investment. 

Instead, treating the water on-site with the latest available chemical technology and filtration methods can lead to several benefits, including significant cost savings, full control of the treatment process and long-term sustainability, the ability to reuse the water once treated and most importantly, the recovery of soluble metals, this is especially true now with the increase in demand for lithium and other metals used in electronics and energy storage.

EPSE Oy, a Finnish company specializing in the treatment of industrial and mining wastewater containing soluble metals has indeed revolutionised wastewater treatment processes by creating a water purification system using chemical treatment that effectively removes 99.99% of heavy metals.

EPSE’s innovative patented new technology is not only a unique solution for rendering the precipitated metals irreversibly insoluble and environmentally harmless, but also turns hazardous waste into valuable raw material for various applications, up to 40x cheaper than existing alternatives, removes all metals in one single treatment step and enables water cycles.

An important advantage is that the EPSE technology can be integrated into existing water treatment solutions to achieve cost savings of up to 20-40% compared to conventional treatment methods. However, substantially higher cost savings can be achieved by a partial or full replacement of existing conventional water treatment technologies.

The EPSE™ Method wastewater treatment process, Felix Fondem, Director of International Operations, EPSE OY explains, is based on the dosing of the EPSE™ chemical and the adjustment of the pH level. The process forms a metal free overflow and an insoluble precipitate that can be classified as inert waste, which does not require special storage or special permits with associated costs like hazardous waste does. The EPSE™ Method’s operating expenses and its’ implementation does not typically require big investments, because it can be easily retrofitted into existing systems, isn’t dependent on temperatures or metal concentrations, energy is conserved remarkably.

We invented and are marketing a system that will not require any major capital investment or necessitate the shutdown of existing water treatment plants, Felix Fondem clarifies, as this would be a very expensive procedure. We rather seek to integrate into and upgrade existing systems with the addition of our chemical at the back- or front-end of the system or within the existing system.

Furthermore, The EPSE™ Method is non-selective and is proven to be effective with all of the processed metals even in small concentrations. The precipitate formed in the process settles rapidly and it can be used as raw material in many ways.

Without proper wastewater treatment, there are several water-related challenges that can ruin a mining site’s efficacy. This is because mining wastewater and the tailings that the industry produces are often very acidic and high in suspended solids. 

From both an environmental and operational standpoint, the best course of action is to prevent contamination to outside water sources and safely reuse mining wastewater as much as possible. Fortunately, through advanced wastewater treatment solutions like The EPSE™ Method, you can reuse mining wastewater for mining, irrigation and even drinking water, Felix Fondem emphasizes.

No matter which water source you’re treating, the primary goals are to remove metals, solids, and other contaminants from the water, as well as restore the water to optimal pH levels. Treating your mining or industrial wastewater requires a combination of chemicals and mechanical filtration technologies.

The EPSE™ Method provides a unique and patented solution for the treatment of waste containing soluble metals. The method produces a metal-free overflow and a practically insoluble multi-metal precipitate. The EPSE™ Method suits particularly well for industrial and mining acidic wastewater and process water containing soluble metals and it has been tested for 51 metals.

EPSE offers their clients a comprehensive technical solution and its treatment process creates excellent results, besides it can be used for both continuous (24h) or batch run according to the customer’s wishes and it can be integrated into existing equipment.

Additionally, Felix Fondem elaborates, reducing our own and customers’ carbon footprint is also EPSE’s goal in the long run and there is plenty of potential around the topic, treatment with the EPSE™ Method doesn’t require extra heating and treating waste or process water where it’s generated reduces especially the need for climate heavy waste transportation.

Last but not least, it is imperative to consider the water-energy-land nexus and pay attention to the land footprint of wastewater treatment with the rapid urbanization in Africa, particularly in the urban areas. Africa aims to move towards safer and sustainable wastewater treatment practices like other developed countries and will have to overcome region-specific challenges. One option is to consider new technologies such as The EPSE™ method.

Our objective is to further develop our network of relevant contacts in the mining sector, enhance the exposure, awareness and knowledge of EPSE technology, further gain valuable and relevant in-depth knowledge of the mining waste water treatment industry development and needs, and make targeted new contacts for the introduction of our technology in Southern Africa in particular and worldwide, Felix Fondem concluded. 

In an industrial world struggling with environmental concerns, EPSE answered the call to enable a more circular economy and green transition.

This makes the EPSE™ method revolutionary.