As part of its endeavour to promote sustainability and environmental protection in the mining industry, inspection, verification, testing and certification company SGS has been servicing South Africa’s minerals sector by testing water, soil and air samples.

The company tells Mining Weekly that test results are mostly used to verify compliance with the applicable environmental standards, thereby ensuring environmental protection.

Since its inception in 1878, SGS’s range of services has broadened considerably to include sampling; field services such as stack testing, ambient air monitoring, soil and water sampling, surface and groundwater monitoring and environmental noise surveys; laboratory analysis, including metal speciation, inorganic and organic analyses, drinking and wastewater testing, soil and water microbiology, and mercury testing; speciality tests for mining, including process development, water treatment solution activities and acid rock drainage; consulting services, including due diligence and site assessments, risk assessments, modelling; and electronic data (e-data) management.

Servicing the Mining Sector
SGS has tailored services to meet the African mining industry’s broad requirements. These services include helping each company enhance its reputation, manage its environmental and technical risks and increase its business efficiency.

The company accomplishes this by integrating various services during project development. “We add a range of technical expertise to support exploration projects and mines in Africa,” says SGS environmental manager for Africa Pietro Berno.

One of the offerings is expert water-focused services, which involves sampling and analysing surface and drinking water, as well as groundwater, for a variety of tests, such as potability and acid mine contamination.

These services are offered through the SGS Africa LabNet, which is a network of SGS laboratories that conform to ISO/IEC 17025 standards for specific registered tests. These laboratories are based in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Angola, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo, Zambia, Tunisia, Mauritius and Tanzania.

SGS also installs environmental groundwater monitoring systems and provides drilling supervision, drilling and results logging.

Berno tells Mining Weekly that its mine water treatment division is at the forefront of applying treatment technologies, such as lime precipitation high-density sludge, ion-exchange and membrane technologies, to conserve fresh water for drinking purposes.

“These technologies are used to remove deleterious elements from tailings and mine process water,” says SGS mineral services VP Derick Govender.

Further, SGS’s acid rock drainage division assists in mine planning and block modelling to better understand which zones in an orebody will generate acid and how best to mitigate that problem. “The mine often does this through selective mining or through placing tailings and waste rock in controlled piles so that effluent and runoff treatment is easier,” adds Govender.

SGS and the Environment
All SGS operations are guided by its four pillars of sustainability – professional excellence, people, the environment and the community, says the company.

“At mines and industrial sites, we work with our clients to apply these principles and we develop new initiatives that address any weaknesses that are identified,” says Berno.

Further, SGS notes that exploration is key to the growth of Africa’s mining industry and that mining is, and will continue to be, a significant driver of gross domestic product growth across the continent.

“The implications of this are far-reaching and all stakeholders must ensure that they adopt an attitude of sustainability,” says Berno, adding that SGS is committed to ensuring that operations in Africa are sustainable, and the company is looking forward to partnering with existing and future clients to meet environmental requirements.

SGS adds that it strives for the continuous improvement of its offerings through a range of complementary laboratory services, including sampling and the temperature-controlled transport of samples.

“This means high-quality results are received faster and SGS aims for turnaround times of ten working days to deliver results to clients.”

Berno adds that the company leverages its established African technical base and supplier relationships to improve the quality of its group worldwide.

SGS formed a partnership with Johannesburg-based manufacturer of certified reference materials African Mineral Standards to create an extensive library of purpose-built certified reference materials. The company also has a progressive programme to ensure commercial laboratories conform to ISO/IEC 17025 standards for specific tests.

“SGS continues to improve the design for its laboratory buildings to reduce environmental impact and we have a system in place to recycle air to reduce heating and cooling costs. Occupational hygiene programmes are also in place, which comprise maintenance by scrubbing air and liquid effluents to remove contaminants,” says Berno.

Mine Site Environment
SGS points out that certain mining companies strive to maintain a positive environmental performance record despite the challenging economic environment.

“The natural environment is at the top of the agenda for certain mining companies and their subcontractors, as it is an important factor in decision-making as well as in legislation,” says Berno.

As a result, the mining industry does not take environmental concerns lightly and, according to SGS, the industry always tries to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment as much as possible.

“Mining and processing options are examined and environment-friendly options are chosen, instead of the cheapest or best-recovery options,” says Berno, adding that this approach to mining is a major change from 30 years ago.

SGS ensures its services offering includes the most environment-friendly, appropriate solutions for clients’ specific needs. “We strive to provide solutions that meet or exceed environmental regulations and requirements,” he adds.

Trends
SGS says several of its new technologies are helping the mining industry implement environmental protection strategies. Some of these technologies include a four-minute water test that monitors water potability at mine sites and other remote areas.

SGS also offers e-data management that allows for the secure management of large databases. “Rapid data access and various data presentation options are available,” says Berno.

Govender says that SGS also offers metallurgical technologies – with little to no environmental impact – such as cyanide, which processes and converts environmentally deleterious elements like arsenic into an environmentally stable form, which has little to no long-term environmental impact.

The company further highlights its proprietary membrane technology, which is used for the final polishing of mine process water or effluents. “We also offer water sustainability theories and implementation strategies to conserve water and reduce mine water consumption,” says Berno.

Awareness
SGS says most mining companies are aware of the importance of their social licence to operate in an environment-friendly way. “From the start of a project, some companies diligently implement processes and monitor their activities to safeguard the environment,” says Berno.

Mining companies should consider the surrounding community, as well as air, water and noise pollution, as part of their sustainability plans. “Companies accept this responsibility and expect their subcontractors to be responsible for their own environmental footprint,” says Berno, adding that SGS accepts this responsibility and focuses on sustainability.

“We operate our facilities in such as way that they meet global environmentally sustainable standards throughout Africa and the world.”

Challenges
SGS says the biggest challenge is communicating the severity of the risks that certain operations have on the environment.

“We need to alert companies to the importance of environmental sustainability and the many approaches that can be taken to mitigate the impact of their operations,” says Berno.

“Mines have a finite life. “Given the technology available for remediation and processing, the final, lasting impact of current mines is controlled and heavily mitigated, compared with past generations of mines,” he concludes.