Anglo American, Port of Açu to develop water reuse project

Anglo American and the Port of Açu announced a partnership to develop a water reuse project in a 529-kilometer-long ore pipeline that transports iron ore from Conceição do Mato Dentro (MG) to the port located in São João da Barra (RJ). According to the companies, this project has the potential to become the largest water reuse project in Brazil, with 0.3 m³/s of reused water.

The ore that leaves the Anglo American unit crosses 29 municipalities before reaching the Port of Açu, where it passes through a filtering process that separates water and ore. Then, the latter is stored for export.

Currently, the effluent generated by the water filtration system is treated and mostly discarded into the sea. The joint project provides the use of part of the treated water in the operations held in industrial processes so that, gradually, no water will be discarded in the ocean.

“The idea is to increase reuse as much as possible in our operations,” explains Tiago Alves, environment manager at Anglo American. “The company continues to support and construct a more sustainable environment to bring answers in sustainability for society in general. Our Sustainable Mining Plan includes consistent targets that we are working hard to meet.,” says Wilfred Buijn, CEO of Anglo American.

In operation since 2014, the Port of Açu has been the third-largest iron ore handling terminal in Brazil. In addition, it is building the largest natural gas power generation park in Latin America, with an LNG terminal and a 1.3 GW thermoelectric plant. Also, a second thermoelectric plant with a 1.7 GW production capacity is in construction.

The port also houses an offshore logistical support base and two factories of flexible pipelines for the flow of oil and gas. With a focus on sustainable growth, it envisions industrialization with renewable and low-carbon energy projects such as solar, green hydrogen, and offshore wind.

“The companies established at the Port of Açu use water for various activities, creating a significant demand for reuse water. The initiative encourages circular water economy practices, in line with Grupo Prumo’s sustainability strategies.” According to José Firmo, the port’s president, “The effluent can also be reused by companies that will implement new industrial and renewable projects in the port, such as thermoelectric plants, fertilizer plants, pellet production, petrochemicals, green hydrogen, and others.”

Anglo American operates on two different business fronts in Brazil: iron ore production in Minas Gerais and nickel in Goiás. The company’s mine and processing zone are installed in Conceição do Mato Dentro in Minas Gerais and connected to the Port of Açu in Rio de Janeiro. Moreover, the company plans to produce 22 to 24 million tonnes of iron ore.

Anglo American is known for producing premium ore, with a high iron content (about 67%) and low levels of contaminants.

Source: Valor Econômico

To read the full original article, please go to: https://valor.globo.com/empresas/noticia/2022/06/09/anglo-american-e-porto-do-au-estudam-projeto-para-reutilizao-de-gua.ghtml

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