A study to determine the feasibility of developing a fully automated or labour intense water treatment plant for Earth

Abstract

An article in (Swanepoel, Esmarie, 2009) suggested that South Africa is heading into a water crisis with a predicted shortfall of 21% by 2013. This shortfall can be prevented but not totally removed by the current gap in the market in the mining sector of South Africa for the treatment of the effluent water that collects at the bottom of the mines. Environmental and Remedial Technology Holdings (Earth) has developed a new method of treating the effluent water by means of ion-exchange. This new method is currently being tested by way of a pilot plant based in Boksburg. This project will outline the methods and Industrial Engineering practices that will be used in the development of a full commercial water treatment plant for Earth. A fully automated plant will be compared to a labour intense plant, using an economic analysis approach, to test the project’s feasibility. This approach will allow Earth to gather information on their solution which can be used to attract investors. The aim of this project is to develop a crucial asset in the development of an ion-exchange water treatment plant for Earth. The implementation of this feasibility study will benefit Earth in the following ways: • Lowering the implementation costs for new plant • Attract investors • Identification of the costs and benefits • Take full advantage of the gap in the market • Make an impact on various interest groups • Enable Earth to make decisions at the correct time