Membrane Separations & System Technologies and Case Studies

1. Membrane Separations & System Technologiesand Case Studies Larry A. Lien

2. Overview of MDSs Process Membrane Expertise

3. Typical spiral-wound element construction: 20 cm x 100 cm (30 m2) • High temperature – 140°C • High pH – 14 • Low pH – 0 • High viscosity – 300 Centipoise @ 90°C • High solids (soluble and suspended) • Ultra-high pressures – 200 Bar

4. Spiral Wound Technology

5. Cross Flow Filtration Important Parameters Feed Spacer Turbulence Promoter Feed Vector Permeate Vector Keeping this ratio Low will minimize Fouling Our system is designed to keep this ratio to minimize fouling and reduce the cleaning frequency

6. Permeate Rate Does Effect Fouling

7. Sulfuric Nitric Hydrochloric Hydrofluoric Boric Phosphoric Acetic Citric Acid reclamation concentration with Acid RO orpurification with Modified NF Membranes

8. Caustic high-pH environments with specialRO and NF membranes • Operated RO in high-pH cyanide solutions for 8 years’ special construction to meet waste water processing needs • Recovery of 5-20% caustic solution with NF membranes with special construction for Aluminum Refinery processes

9. Case Studies for Why the Mining and Metal Refinery Industryshould use Membrane Technology • Recovery of metals • Recovery of acids or caustic • Recovery of energy • Reduction of disposal costs

10. CASE STUDY: Yanacocha • Gold mining heap leach water balance issue at Yanacocha, Peru • First RO Water Treatment system installed in 2003 • Currently, 2,750 m3/hr of barren leach solution is treated and discharged safely into the environment • Most original membrane-elements installed in 2003 are still operating effectively • Payback <4 months with gold recovery

11. Heap Leach Cyanide Solution Gold Mining Extraction Merrill-Crowe 3 2200 m /hr 117.5 ppm CN WAD Returned to Extraction Gold Recovery RO Carbon Column 3 1750 m /hr after Chlorine Treatment Discharged into Environment Yanacocha process overview

12. Yanacocha Water Quality

13. RO of gold-cyanide complex concentration

14. 1000 m3 Plant at MYSRL – Yanacocha Norte, Peru

16. Comments from Newmont’s Operators at Yanacocha • Meets water quality discharge standards (including nitrites and nitrates not regulated) • Allows for future safe operation and expansion • Increased Gold and Silver recovery in membrane concentrates (Au and Ag rejected at 96.5% rate by the membranes – especially important during upset conditions) • Cyanide recovery for re-use • Chlorine consumption reduced by 75%, and overall operating cost is 70% less than that of a conventional precipitation plant • EASY TO OPERATE

17. NF fractionation of gold and copper-cyanide complex

18. Au CN CN CN Heap Cu CN Preg Soln Copper Cu CN Recovery Special NF Cu To Discharge Gold Special RO Au CN Recovery Copper-Gold fractionation process Au Recovery

19. CASE STUDY: Copper and sulfuric acid rejection with special RO membrane-elements at Phelps-Dodge

20. 1-2% H SO 2 4 1,230 ppm CU Acid RO 1 10-12% H SO 2 4 pH .8 8,000-9,000 ppm Cu 55 Bar 45°C 3 18 m /hr 3 2 m /hr .1% Acid 1% Acid 35 ppm Cu 3 500 ppm Cu 16 m /h 3 1.3 m /hr Acid RO 2 <.01% Acid 3 ppm Cu ZERO-DISCHARGE 3 14.7 m /h SYSTEM Rinse Water for Rod Mill To Scrap Copper Dissolving Process Tank 18 years of operation of EMS® systems at Freeport McMoRan (Phelps-Dodge) Rod Mill – El Paso, Texas

21. CASE STUDY: Freeport McMoRan (Phelps-Dodge)Acid Reference System installed in 1992 • 400 m3/day x 2 (two-pass system), total of 800 m3/day as Product • 70 Bar capability • All Stainless 316 with Viton Elastomers – Victaulic and O-rings • Two-pass system to achieve product quality desired

23. Copper and Iron rejection with specialModified RO membrane-elements

24. AMD Copper Recovery Process

25. CASE STUDY: AMD application at Cananea de Mexico • Recovery of Copper directly from EMS® concentrate • EMS® process paid for itself within 6 months via copper recovery • Allowed mine to open new reserves from an old 1890s mine shaft that would otherwise have flooded

27. CASE STUDY: Asarco Refinery WastewaterReclamation Project • Legacy refinery with ground water pollution issues after 100 yearsof operation • Precipitation system installed in 1985 – $1M capital and huge operating costs • Membrane system installed in 1993 preceding precipitation –reduced volume to precipitation system from 6 m3/hr to 1 m3/hr

28. Copper Refinery Precipitation Process Prior toAddition of Membrane System

29. Concentrate to Existing Precipitation Modified RO Membrane Volume Mixing & Reduced Clarifying by 80% Tanks RO Permeate 80% Recovery To Surface Discharge Filter Press Liquid Returned to Feed for RO Media II Media I Sludge Hauled Re-refined Refinery layout with membrane systemfollowed by precipitation

30. Capital and operating costs: Precipitation vs. Membrane-Media * Membrane cleaning and media regeneration

31. Final Permeate Water Analyses

32. Sun Metals Zero Discharge Project New Zinc Refinery in Townsville, Australia $A 0.5 Billion Investment Zero Discharge Permitting Because Townsville is on Great Barrier Reef After Construction Commenced Sun Discovered Their Plant Effluent Could contain up to 30 ppm of Boron Conventional Precipitation Could Not Remove Boron 32 Proprietary and Confidential

33. Sun Metals Zero Discharge Zinc Refinery Low pH Process Water From Zinc Refinery – Peabody Water Lime Pond (Saturated CaSO4 ) 40 M3/hr To Evaporation Ponds Reverse Osmosis Nanofiltration 35 M3/hr Boiler Feed Make-up 33 M3/hr 33 Proprietary and Confidential

34. Cobre Los CrucasSeville, Spain • Application 1 • New Mine Copper Open Pit Mine • Alkaline Mine Drainage from Rainy Season • Contaminated with Arsenic, Fluoride and Boron • Zero Liquid Discharge Facility • Application 2 • To Maintain Static Hydraulic Pressure on Open Pit Ground Water is Pumped from Wells around the Perimeter of the Pit • These “Water Wells” once they reach the surface must be treated for high levels of Arsenic, Fluoride and Boron • Clean Permeate Re-injected into Ground Water • Membrane Plants Operate at 95-97% Recovery and the Concentrate is Evaporated

35. Application 1CLCAlkaline Mine Drainage

36. Application 1Cobre Los Crucas Copper MineAlkaline Mine Drainage Alkaline Mine Drainage Pond Hollow-Fiber UF Backwashable Special Construction RO 600 m3/hr 50 m3/h To Evaporator 550 m3/hr Clean Permeate <100 ppm Sent to Mill as Process Water 36 Proprietary and Confidential

37. Application 2 CLCWell Water Treatment and Re-injection • Perimeter Wells Drilled around Open Pit Pump Ground Water that must be Treated before Re-injection

38. Application 2 Cobre Los CrucasZLD Process Flow Diagram EMS Plant Recovery 95-97.5% Backwash Recovered or Sent to Seeded Reactor 75 m3/h Hollow Fiber UF Special RO 90% Recovery 750 m3/h 675 m3/h Seeded Reactor Wells For Re-injection 25 m3/h To Evaporator Special RO 60 Bar 66% Recovery Hollow Fiber UF 50 m3/h Sludge to Filter Press For Re-injection

39. PDF for Newmont Waihi Gold EMS High Pressure < 400 psi Low Pressure < 200 psi MMF 1 micron 2 Skids Concentrator Bag With 2 Skids of Low Pressure HF High Pressure Filters Turbidity ORP pH 30 M3/H back to Backwash Each capable of 30 M3/H HF Duplex Tailings Pond 9 Filters Feed at 50% Recovery on Each capable of Feed 240 M3/H Each Skid 120 M3/H Feed 10-25C at 75% Recovery Turbidity AntiScalant Oxygen Scavenger Bisulfite or Thiosulfate Solution 210 M3/H Permeate to Discharge Case Study Waihi Gold Overview Process PI PI 240 M3/H 60 M3/H TDS 30 M3/H 180 M3/H TDS

40. PDF for Newmont Waihi Gold EMS High Pressure < 400 psi Low Pressure < 200 psi MMF 1 micron 2 Skids Concentrator Bag With 2 Skids of Low Pressure HF High Pressure Filters Turbidity ORP pH 30 M3/H back to Backwash Each capable of 30 M3/H HF Duplex Tailings Pond 9 Filters Feed at 50% Recovery on Each capable of Feed 240 M3/H Each Skid 120 M3/H Feed 10-25C at 75% Recovery Turbidity AntiScalant Oxygen Scavenger Bisulfite or Thiosulfate Solution 210 M3/H Permeate to Discharge Waihi Overview Process PI PI 240 M3/H 60 M3/H TDS 30 M3/H 180 M3/H TDS

41. Tapered Array for Primary System 1st Stage 2nd Stage 9 Vessels In Parallel 5 Vessels In Parallel 30 m3/h 120 m3/h Exit Volume From Each 6 m3/h 90 m3/h Ave 22.2 l/m2/h (l-m-h)

42. Tapered Array for Concentrator System 1st Stage 2nd Stage 2 Vessels In Parallel 1 Vessel 15 m3/h Per vessel 30 m3/h High Exit Velocity Less Fouling Exit Volume15 m3/h 15 m3/h Ave 22.2 l/m2/h (l-m-h)

43. Water Quality for Selected Ions of Interest Based on System Performance

44. Waihi Gold Membrane Plant240 m3/h Membrane Plant Permeate Storage Prior to Discharge

45. Turbidity Feed TDS Permeate TDS Feed Pressure Delta P ORP Permeate Pressure or Flow High Level Alarm High Level Alarm High Level Shut-down Low Inlet Pressure Stop & High Pressure Alarm High Level Alarm High Level Shut-down High Pressure Stop & High Flow Stop (and Alarm) Important Operating Parameters

46. Tapered Array for Primary System 1st Stage 2nd Stage 9 Vessels In Parallel 5 Vessels In Parallel 30 m3/h 120 m3/h Exit Volume From Each 6 m3/h 90 m3/h Ave 22.2 l/m2/h (l-m-h)

47. Tapered Array for Concentrator System 1st Stage 2nd Stage 2 Vessels In Parallel 1 Vessel 15 m3/h Per vessel 30 m3/h High Exit Velocity Less Fouling Exit Volume15 m3/h 15 m3/h Ave 22.2 l/m2/h (l-m-h)

48. Water Quality for Selected Ions of Interest Based on System Performance

49. Waihi Gold Membrane Plant240 m3/h Membrane Plant Permeate Storage Prior to Discharge

50. Oil & Gas Experiences