Veolia to deliver water treatment plant at WA lithium mine

Veolia Water Technologies has been selected by Talison Lithium to deliver the water treatment plant for the Greenbushes lithium mine, said to be the biggest hard rock lithium mine in the world. Veolia technologies used at the plant will allow output at the mine to be doubled, satisfying all environmental requirements regarding discharge water.

The mine site is located adjacent to the town of Greenbushes, approximately 250 km south of Perth. The lithium mined is used in batteries for consumer electronics, electric bicycles, buses and passenger vehicles. It is also used in aerospace alloys, wind turbines, glass and ceramics.

After extensive engineering and test work, Veolia Water Technologies will provide a water treatment plant solution based on ACTIFLO clarification, CeraMem ultrafiltration, high recovery RO and two-stage EVALED thermal evaporation. The plant is designed to treat a maximum feed flow of 150 m³/h and achieve the highest overall water recovery possible.

Constructed using some of Veolia Water Technologies’ core technologies, the water treatment plant will enable Talison Lithium to double the output from Greenbushes Lithium Operations. It will also satisfy the environmental requirements to reduce lithium contained in the on-site mine water prior to discharge to the environment.

While preliminary activities have already commenced, construction of the Greenbushes Lithium Mine Water Treatment Plant is scheduled to be completed and operational in 2019.