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By T. Johnson

Hydrometallurgical processes can be exceptionally corrosive. This is particularly true in acid leaching processes for copper, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements. In the last five years, several large hydromet plants have been built in North America (Vale - Long Harbour, Baja Mining ? El Boleo and MolyCorp - Mountain Pass). Hundreds of storage tanks, extraction vessels and electrowinning cells along with miles of piping were designed and fabricated to withstand the aggressive environments inherent in these processes. One key element all three projects had in common was the extensive use of FRP in equipment design. As a material of construction, FRP provided equal if not improved durability relative to alternative corrosion resistant alloys at a considerably lower cost. This paper will highlight the extensive use of FRP in these three world scale projects and why it was chosen for each process.

Jan 1, 2013

In view of the increasing environmental regulations that have been promulgated all over the world in the last 30 years, non-ferrous smelters and refineries have learnt and adapted to treat effectively metals'-containing process waste streams that need to be bled from the plant. However, anions such as sulfates, chlorides and fluorides-presently not a major problem ?are coming under increasing scrutiny and need to be addressed in the near future. The current paper reviews options for waste water treatment with reference to: a) types of waste streams processed b) process chemistry c) discharge options d) recovery and reuse of water and e) solids disposal. Methods to obtain zero liquid discharge ?a possible solution to eliminate discharge of above anions and residual heavy metals- are discussed with case studies. The long term goal of any non-ferrous smelter plant should be to have a zero liquid discharge philosophy-an approach that would become an epitome of water reuse and conservation.

Jan 1, 2009