Eramet : How can we reconcile water resource preservation and mining activity? Eramet answers this question on its sites on a daily basis.

How can we reconcile water resource preservation and mining activity? Eramet answers this question on its sites on a daily basis.

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Newsof March's 22 2022

By 2050, one in four people will live in a country affected by chronic or frequent water shortages. To find responsible solutions, the United Nations invites people to reflect on this problem every March 22 on World Water Day. For this 30^th edition, the theme that has been chosen is "Groundwater, making the invisible visible". For the "invisible" supplies the main accesses to fresh water on Earth: springs, rivers, lakes.

Virtuous water management: the example of GCO

The theme of this world day resonates with the Group's Senegalese subsidiary, GCO: its mine is characterized by an artificial pond, on which a dredge swallows water and sand. After recovery of the mineralized sands, the unused water and sand are discharged at the back of the pond.

The water used in its operations comes from two underground aquifers. The neighboring populations draw from these same aquifers for drinking water and agriculture. For this reason, GCO takes care to withdraw only the amount of water strictly necessary for its activities, in compliance with the pumping permits granted by the State. But the company also recycles: the water discharged at the back of the pond is recovered via surface pumpings along the mine, using recycling boreholes - a technique that allows for the recycling of 50% of the water used.

The company has also set up a monitoring system: the levels and quality of both the surface and deep water tables are continuously monitored using numerous piezometers, tubes that provide access to the water table. Four of them are deep and equipped with automatic recorders. The surface water level is monitored daily and the information is transmitted to the water resource management authorities, who visit the site every month.

• Learn more about water management at GCO

Better resource management: a common challenge

Within Eramet, seven ICGs (International Competence Groups) work to share knowledge and, above all, best management practices in the Group's mines. These working groups are made up of representatives from each subsidiary and also from Eramet Ideas, the Group's research and innovation center.

One of these ICGs, entirely dedicated to water, is led by Dr. Mouhamat Seck, Area Manager TIG - Technical Services, Integrated Planning & Geology at GCO. "We cover a variety of topics, because each site has a different problem: groundwater and surface water management, water discharges, slope stability, etc.," he explains.

The ultimate goal is to achieve sustainable resource management to optimize mining performance and avoid the negative impacts of the activity, for all the Group's sites. For this year again, "Each ICG aims to produce two 'best practices' in its field," says Dr. Mouhamat Seck. "In 2021, we have produced a total of seven best practices, which are being rolled out gradually, depending on the level of maturity of the sites. Then, evaluation missions will take place, followed by corrective action plans wherever necessary."

Among the best practices that have been implemented: the creation of procedures explaining the requirements and methodology in relation to the IRMA (responsible mining), JORC (the code for communicating exploration results) or ICMM (International Council on Mining and Metals) standards, which the Group aims to implement on its sites. The data collected will be managed using a new tool, a dedicated database management system, currently under design at GCO. If its effectiveness is confirmed in Senegal, the tool will be deployed at other sites.

Although most of the Group's sites are located in areas where access to water is not a problem, major efforts are made to maximize recycling and thus reduce consumption. In Argentina, for example, to recover the lithium contained in the water of the Centenario-Ratones salar, Eramet Ideas has developed a unique and innovative process that does not involve evaporation, unlike traditional processes. While this process does require the use of fresh water, 60% of the water used will be recycled. In Gabon, the start-up Bind-X, which recently received an award from Eramet, is developing a dust control and soil stabilization solution for Comilog using an innovative solution that will save more than 15 million liters of water per year. In New Caledonia, SLN seeks to control water runoff on the mountains where it operates: 132 water quality monitoring stations are set up at all its mines; and a water management plan is implemented at each site, monitored by the local authorities.

• Learn more about Eramet's water management