The primary metals industry is experiencing a period of growth not seen before and there are no signs of dramatic drop in demand or stagnation.

This growth has initiated an unprecedented worldwide increase in production capacity and competition is tougher than ever. Productivity, quality and profitability are key issues for the Primary Metals Industry, to be addressed in conjunction with the reduction of environmental impacts, warranted by tightening environmental regulations, and the continuous improvement of occupational health and safety standards.

Water is essential to the Primary Metals industry, though other materials required for production might get considerably more attention. However without reliable water management - productivity, quality and profitability is endangered.

Veolia Water is a company with a long tradition of serving the Primary Metals industry as provider of water management services and supplier of water related installations. As such, we have seen the challenges facing the industry at close distance. We have used our R&D resources to develop environmentally-friendly solutions to minimize the industry's environmental impacts and to preserve natural resources and we have trained our engineering and operational staff to place reliability, safety and cost efficiency at the forefront of their activities.

When Veolia Water take on the responsibility of your water installations

• we guarantee availability of water in the amount and the quality your production requires
• we can manage both internal and external water and wastewater loops
• we also provide Zero Liquid Discharge solutions if this is your request

We focus on providing the water services your production requires with due consideration to

• efficiency
• environment
• health and safety

Reliability in production is a key focus to the steel industry. It is essential to secure product quality, productivity, safe operation, minimum environmental impact and return on assets.

We in Veolia Water are well aware of how important reliability is to you. We operate all or part of the water management facilities (process water, cooling water, wastewater etc.) at more than 30 steel mills around the world. We are fully aware of the responsibility we have taken on, 24 hours per day and 365 days per year, to supply water in the right amount and of the right quality and to treat any waste streams with the aim of recovering valuable components and ensuring that any discharge to the environment meets regulation at all times. We understand the true meaning of for example 99% availability of our services and the responsibility we have when providing this guarantee to our clients.

Our profession and experience is related to all aspects of water management. We know that to produce 1 metric ton of crude steel the mill requires access to up to 150 m³ of water. Industrial practice today is recovery and recirculation of 90 to 95 % of the water used which means, to secure product quality and reliability of production equipment, water to be recycled requires proper treatment.

Sustainability has been recognized by the Aluminum Industry as a key to both environmental excellence and financial performance. Therefore, this industry thrives at developing a systematic and integrated approach to economic, social, and environmental aspects throughout the production chain and life cycle of the products.

An integrated aluminum smelter needs access to about 60 m³ of water per ton of aluminum produced. The aluminum industry as part of their sustainability efforts is focusing on solutions minimizing fresh water abstraction and wastewater discharges in order to contribute to sustainable water resource management. Zero Liquid Discharge is the long term goal at most mills and is sometimes already required by regulatory authorities evaluating new mill projects.

The Aluminum Industry has to optimize sustainability and EHS standards at the same time as it needs to increase production and product quality. This complex challenge calls for close cooperation in between experts in different fields to find optimized solutions.

We at Veolia Water know all aspects of sustainable water management, as water has been our profession for over a century. We have proven to our clients that we can offer the competence you need in your efforts to:

• Treat water of any quality to meet your process water quality requirements
• Maximize water recycling and minimize waste production
• Secure Zero Liquid Discharge if required
• Monitor groundwater quality on industrial premises
• Recover contaminated ground waterto high quality water for production
• Ensure continuous compliance with environmental regulations
• Optimize water management costs

Wastewater at non ferrous production facilities are normally contaminated with compounds having very high environmental impact, i.e. mercury, cadmium, lead etc. compounds which even at very low concentration are toxic to the environment.

Historically the major environmental problems associated with the nonferrous metal industry have been emissions of off gases from the various furnaces in use. This problem has been successively addressed by installing flue gas cleaning systems and by changing production to combined pyro- and hydrometallurgical processes or by applying pure hydrometallurgy. While gaseous emissions have been tackled in this way and their environmental impact has been reduced, it has resulted in air emissions being partly transferred to aqueous emissions.

Bleeds from scrubber systems are normally the most contaminated streams from a smelter though run off and contact cooling water, used for slag and metal cooling, might also be contaminated. In hydrometallurgical processes water is used as the "carrier" for the extraction chemical. The target metal dissolves along with many more compounds and after recovery of the valuable metals, the leach solution still contains some unwanted compounds.

Minimizing environmental impacts and especially wastewater discharges becomes crucial. Efficient and reliable processes are required to allow for maximum recycling of these aqueous streams and minimum discharges of wastewater if at all. For this purpose, closing water loops to the largest possible extent is essential. Performance and reliability of the recovery and recycling processes are key when considering the potential environmental and financial impacts of noncompliance.

Veolia Water has unmatched experience in managing Zero Liquid Discharge systems. We master all technologies associated with closing water loops and our R&D center, with over 150 researchers, supports us in the development of innovative solutions to tacked technically challenging situations. By contracting with Veolia Water for their water and wastewater management activities, our clients give themselves more time to deal with your core business - production of metals.

"Good Practice in mining" and "Mining mineral in a sustainable way": two ways to express that mining must be done in a way where the effect on the environment is at a minimum.

• Mines are where the minerals are, not necessary where there is water
• Mine operation and mineral processing can produce contaminated water which can not be discharged to environment

The most cost effective environmental solutions for mining are found when considered at the start of the project. Old and abandoned mines are a different issue as the consequences of past practices can be a considerable financial and environmental burden to the mining companies or to society.

For non ferrous mining sites the traditional mining and mineral processing activities are now being accompanied by on site hydrometallurgical processing to reduce metal transportation costs and to keep residual materials for management on the mining site.

Engineered management of all water on, in or under a mine site is crucial to the success of a mine's operations. By handing over these activities to a professional contractor, new mines can save up-front capital costs on equipment and engineering facilities, and existing mines can minimize operating costs. We at Veolia Water how to serve the water needs of your industry.

• We can help you source water for your operation and treat it to the qualities your operation needs. Whether the source of supply is sea water, river water or mine drainage you get the quality you need.
• We can treat all the contaminated aqueous flows to the quality required for recycling, reuse or eventually discharge with due concern to production, safety, health, environment and cost efficiency.
• We can take on the responsibility to manage mine drainage from closed and abandoned mines and guarantee you compliance a all times with environmental regulation

Be it treatment of Acid Mine Drainage, Sea Water Reverse Osmosis, Zero Liquid Discharge, we have the solutions and experience to provide you with complete water management services that guarantee continuity of production and / or treatment and compliance with environmental regulations.

Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies offers a wide range of technological solutions to meet the specific needs of the Primary Metals Industry.

• Process Water
• Effluent Treatment
• Recycle/ Reuse
• Sludge Treatment
• Odor Treatment