Cornish Metals is using eight Bredel 40 hose pumps and three Qdos chemical metering and dosing pumps from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions in its newly-opened water treatment plant at South Crofty tin mine.
South Crofty ceased producing tin in 1998 but Cornish Metals is working to reopen it, aiming to reinstate production by 2026.
However, before it can begin extracting tin, it must dewater the flooded mine and treat eight million cubic metres of contaminated water so that it meets standards set by the Environment Agency. The treated, clean water is then discharged into the nearby Red River at a rate of up to 25,000m3/day.
As part of the process to decontaminate water pumped out of the underground tin mine, the Bredel pumps are used for transferring sludge, while the Qdos pumps are dosing hydrogen peroxide to oxidise the contaminated metals in the mine water at the WTP. Cornish Metals expects the dewatering of South Crofty to take 18 months.
South Crofty project manager, Steven Kingstone, said: “We are lucky in Cornwall to have a number of suppliers such as Watson-Marlow, producing high quality equipment that we can utilise in the reconstruction of South Crofty mine.
“This highlights the importance that we place on buying local where we can, which ensures that the reopening of South Crofty benefits the local population and economy as much as possible. As the site develops, we look forward to continuing to work with Watson-Marlow.”
