Zero Liquid Discharge WWTP EPC for the mining complex of Atlantic Copper (Huelva)

Lantania, together with Aquatec (Agbar group), has carried out the engineering, supply, installation and start-up of an industrial wastewater treatment plant for the Huelva-based metallurgical company Atlantic Copper. This plant, which uses zero discharge technologies, is the first of its kind in Spain and allows the recovery of its effluents for use it in the process, reducing water consumption by the smelting.

It is one of the largest industrial water treatment projects on the Spanish market as it includes the treatment of four different types of flows with a total daily capacity of 1,870 m^3/day. The construction project model of this plant has been based on Building Information Modeling (BIM) to optimize planning, coordination, and execution of the works.

The construction of this industrial water recovery plant is the latest technological step in Atlantic Copper’s circular economy project called Red Scope (Recovery of Effluent for Sustainable Copper Processing in Europe). This new installation saves around 500,000 m³ of water per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of a population of 10,000 people, significantly reducing the company’s water footprint.

One of the most important aspects of this treatment plant is that the final stages of the process include an evaporator/crystalliser to obtain dry waste, in the form of salt crystals, whose recovery is currently being studied.