Applying Agricultural Technology to the Mining Industry

Historically, the mining and agriculture industries have had a fairly antagonistic relationship, engaging in disputes over access to valuable natural resources such as water. Even so, many of the products and equipment that are used in agriculture can also have useful applications in mining. Products such as geomembranes, liners for ponds and reservoirs, and leaching systems, as well as improvements in filtration and automation solutions, can all be applied to a working mining environment. As a supplier of such products, Aquafim has seen many mining companies struggle to find reliable solutions for their hydraulic processes, and so the company has branched into the industry to offer its solutions. Silvestre Peréz González, Director General of Aquafim, explains how his company approaches its business in both sectors. “At the heart of Aquafim is a passion for engineering. We have a large design department which enables us to produce turnkey solutions for all of our clients. This sets us apart from our competition. Two years ago, after a lot of research and investigation, we decided to enter into the mining industry by supplying filters and then expanded into leaching, or lixiviation systems. The transition into mining was difficult as we had a lot of competitors to contend with, but that has not really halted our success.”

Alongside irrigation and filtration, Aquafim’s leaching systems can now be completely automated. For example, it is possible to activate a change in a process once the water level reaches a certain level. This kind of automation can be complimented by sending the engineers regular updates and notifications of any issues that may arise. Due to the amount of chemicals in the water, many drippers on the market are prone to clogging, especially when water is recycled into the irrigation process. Aquafim has designed its systems to constantly monitor the drippers to check for this common problem. The company even guarantees the lifespan of a dripper before it needs to be replaced, depending on the intensity of the circulation and irrigation. “The techniques we use to monitor the filtration, leaching, and hydraulic systems are hugely beneficial from a safety perspective because nobody needs to be present for things to run smoothly,” explains Peréz González. “Our monitoring systems also help to pinpoint where improvements could be applied, reducing the usage of water and energy, and giving a detailed history of the events which have occurred.”

One of Aquafim’s priority projects is a hydraulic system designed for Timmins Gold’s San Francisco mine. The company is also involved in the leaching processes in some other important mines in Sonora such as Cobre Del Mayo’s Piedras Verdes mine and Peñoles’ Milipillas mine. It also has products in the Mulatos mine from Alamos Gold, and in Grupo Mexico’s La Caridad and Buenavista del Cobre. “One of our clients has offered to buy exclusively from us if we retain the exceptional quality of our products,” states Peréz González. “Ultimately though, our main goal in mining is to sell projects. There is much less competition in this field compared to the parts and components market since very few companies sell complete mining irrigation solutions. By providing the design, the engineering of the products, and the installations, we hope that our prospective clients will recognize the benefits of investing in a complete solution.”