We strive to provide a comprehensive solution tailored to your needs. Using the EPSE™ Method, we can produce reusable water for your process or clean water for discharge into the environment. Our solution focuses on metal removal, removing up to 50 different metals in a single treatment to produce heavy metal-free effluent and multi-metal sludge rendered harmless for the environment and safe for storage in open pits, for instance.

The EPSE process is ideal for:

  • treatment of heavy metal-containing process and wastewater
  • generating closed water loops within industrial plants
  • recovery and recycling of metals in wastewater

 

 

EPSE customer process

Our customer process always begins with water sample analysis, as every wastewater stream – even within the same plant – is unique. Once we have received the sample, we determine the EPSE recipe in our laboratory, after which the method can be tested at the customer’s premises to optimize it and calculate more accurate operating costs. Our experts strive to create a solution that can be retrofitted to existing equipment, precisely meets the need, and is cost-effective. We also consider the sustainability aspect: can the solution generate additional value through raw material recycling, or can rare earth elements (REEs) or critical minerals be found in side streams? A comprehensive solution is achieved with an EPSE™ Method license agreement, which includes EPSE™ chemicals and technical support.

1. Water sample to EPSE Laboratory

We start with a sample that is sent to our laboratory in Finland – with a sample, we can create an EPSE recipe tailored to your needs.

2. Verification of the Method in real industrial conditions

The EPSE™ Method’s functionality can be verified with easily applicable Mobile EPSE™ Piloting unit or a tailored solution at your site.

3. License agreement with added benefits

We’ll work hard to provide you with a best-available solution: EPSE™ Method License agreement includes EPSE™ chemical for treatment & support service.

 

 

Who is it for?

EPSE is applicable in every industrial field where metal-contaminated wastewater is generated,  the following list hardly comprehensive: 

  • Mining Industry
  • Metal Industry & electroplating
  • Waste Industry
  • Paper Industry
  • Chemical Industry
  • Oil and Gas Industry
  • Construction Industry
  • Automotive and Aerospace Industry
  • Electrical Industry
  • Medical Industry
  • Energy Industry

 

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Wastewater treatment and recycling the water

Recycling wastewater back into the process is often an essential part of a plant’s water balance, and saving raw water is critically important, especially in areas suffering from drought. Several factors affect water recyclability, and metal content is not the only aspect to consider. Conductivity indicates the ion concentration of water, i.e., how much electrically conductive dissolved salts, acids, bases, and other substances in ionic form are present in the water. For example, high conductivity in mine wastewater may indicate that large amounts of metals or salts have dissolved into the water during the processes. In most cases, the EPSE™ Method effectively decreases conductivity, as the metal content decreases dramatically and e.g., sulfates are often co-precipitated. However, the recyclability of each wastewater must be determined on a case-by-case basis. EPSE’s experts are here to help!

 

 

Circular economy & Recovery of REEs and CRMs

EPSE advances sustainability and circular economy by treating wastewater with soluble metals, aiming to reduce the environmental footprint and combat climate change. Our processes not only recover valuable metals but also contribute to preserving natural resources and meeting ESG goals. The treated water can usually be returned to the process, and further processing of the precipitated metals provides a solution to the growing global demand for metal recovery. Water recycling promotes water conservation and keeps the environment clean and metal-free.

EPSE strives for Sustainable Industrial & Mining Practices, which include

  • water recycling and sustainable water balance
  • treatment of sludge to make it harmless to the environment and safe to storage in tailings facilities or sludge disposal areas
  • assessing the recycling potential of metals bound in sludge and enabling metal recycling
  • separating any rare earth elements (REE) and critical minerals from industrial or mining by-products.

 

 

About mine water treatment

EPSE can help mines in their water treatment and especially with

  • metal removal from process water or AMD
  • water recycling and discharge
  • tailings management and safe storage solutions
  • overall water balance management.

The water treatment needs of mines vary depending on the type of mine, geology, processes, and local environmental requirements. The most important goal is typically to remove all soluble heavy metals. Metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, and uranium can dissolve in water during many stages of the process, and various precipitation, flocculation, neutralization, or ion exchange methods have been developed to remove them. The EPSE™ Method removes more than 50 metals in a single treatment – almost everything except gold, which can be recovered from the treated water using activated carbon, for example. After EPSE treatment, the sulfate content is also typically significantly reduced, so additional treatment is often not necessary.

The target is typically to meet the concentration limits set in their environmental permits before discharging water into the environment or to reuse the water in processes, depending on the water balance, and with EPSE this is simple to achieve.

Another common challenge is the treatment of acidic mine drainage, or AMD. AMD is produced when minerals oxidize and water becomes acidic, causing metals and sulfates to dissolve into it. Treating this type of water often involves raising the pH through neutralization and precipitating metals. EPSE Process loves the acidic environment and produces alkaline, metal-free water. This is typically ideal considering mine water circuits. Although EPSE™ Method doesn’t directly target salts or solids, water treatment is often simplified significantly by introducing EPSE technology, due to decrease in conductivity and reliable removal of soluble heavy metals in one treatment.

Water quantity management, or water balance, is important in both dry and rainy areas. Mines need to store, control, divert, or evaporate excess water so that it does not cause harm to production or the environment. EPSE Process is fast and works with simple technology, so managing large or small amounts of water is easy and reliable.

With tailings management EPSE can come in and provide clients with specified solutions for monitoring and storing tailings. With our partners, we have generated a prototype of a “Zero Reaction Time (ZRT) Program”, which combines water monitoring equipment and software so that every deviation in set values is noticed immediately and all tailings leaks into the environment can be prevented. ZRT is crucial especially with legacy sites where infrastructure is getting older and less sturdy over the years. Contact our sales experts to get yours!

All these factors together form the overall water treatment needs of mines, the management of which requires careful planning and effective technical solutions. EPSE’s experts have decades of experience not only in mining processes and tailings management, but also in water treatment using various methods. The EPSE™ Method is an effective, simple, and reliable method for removing soluble heavy metals and often sulfates as well, and our experts provide support for comprehensive water management.

We collaborate extensively with various parties and are happy to participate in different development projects, as we believe that there is always room to learn, develop, and operate more efficiently. Feel free to contact us to discuss more!

 

 

Wastewater treatment and discharge into the environment

If water is to be discharged into the environment, the plant often has strictly defined limit values for metals and salts in the water. The limit values are typically case-specific, but there are common guidelines across the globe. The most important thing is to ensure the safety of the environment, both for humans and other living organisms. Long-term exposure to heavy metals is particularly dangerous to the health in many ways, as metals often do not leave the body but accumulate and concentrate, causing e.g., different cancers and damage to the nervous system. The EPSE™ Method can often remove metals by up to 100%.

When discharging water to environment, there are few critical aspects: 

  • Compliance with Environmental Regulations – water must meet all applicable local, national, and international environmental standards and permit conditions
  • Protection of receiving ecosystems – the effluent must not harm aquatic life or disrupt ecological balance. This includes considering cumulative impacts on biodiversity
  • Continuous monitoring and transparency – discharge must be continuously monitored to ensure compliance and early detection of deviations. Transparent reporting to authorities and stakeholders builds trust and supports accountability.

 

 

Information on specific metals

The effectiveness of our method has been proven in laboratory-scale, pilot projects, and on an industrial scale for the treatment of various heavy metals. Some of our largest applications are located in areas where there is an acute water crisis or severe shortage of water resulting in industrial activities having a significant impact on the local population. Our goal is to protect the environment and people from exposure to toxic soluble metals by producing safe water treatment end products. We also want to raise awareness of the toxicity of metal exposure and the importance of water treatment in industry.

Uranium (U)

  • Uranium is a naturally occurring heavy metal and radioactive element found in rock and soil. (Pohjolainen, 2017)
  • Uranium is released into the environment through, for example, dissolution in rainwater in uranium-rich areas and as a result of human activity, particularly in the mining industry (Keith et al., 2013).
  • Enriched uranium is used primarily in nuclear energy production, which produces significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions than fossil fuels (London School of Economics Grantham Research Institute, 2019).

Environmental and health impacts of uranium

  • Uranium is a chemically toxic heavy metal and radioactive substance that is particularly dangerous in soluble form (Keith et al, 2013).
  • Humans are mainly exposed to uranium through drinking water and food. The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined a safe limit for uranium in drinking water to be below 30 µg/l (micrograms per liter).
  • Long-term exposure to uranium can damage the kidneys, but accumulation can also cause damage to the liver, nervous system, reproductive system, and bones (Keith et al., 2013).

What can EPSE do to help?

  • EPSE offers a solution for treating water containing uranium and heavy metals. The method does not focus solely on producing clean water, but also takes into account the risks associated with long-term storage of solid mining waste. The EPSE™ Method produces a multi-metal sludge with very low re-solubility, which reduces the risk of metals being released back into the environment when conditions like pH change.
  • Our goal is a risk-free environment, which is achieved not only by improving the quality of water treatment, but also by developing digital solutions for the continuous monitoring of tailings ponds and by working closely with partners and authorities to ensure the safe disposal and storage of industrial by-products and waste.

More information: epse.fi/en/about-uranium

Arsenic (As)

  • Arsenic is a metalloid, or semi-metal, classified as a heavy metal that occurs in soil (GTK, 2004).
  • Arsenic occurs naturally in small amounts in soil and bedrock, from which it can be released into the natural cycle and groundwater (GTK, 2004).
  • Industrial activity plays a significant role in the transport of arsenic, particularly to aquatic environments. The main sources of emissions are mining, metal processing, the chemical industry, and the burning of coal and biomass (Smedley & Kinniburgh, 2002).

Environmental and health impacts of arsenic

  • Arsenic is a persistent and toxic substance in the environment that can harm aquatic organisms, disrupt microbial activity in the soil, and migrate into groundwater. Organic arsenic compounds in particular can accumulate in the food chain (Smedley & Kinniburgh, 2002)
  • Arsenic and its compounds are genotoxic carcinogens (IARC class 1), i.e., cancer-causing substances that interfere with the functioning or repair of cellular DNA. Other health effects of arsenic include neurological effects, cardiovascular disease, and skin symptoms (Food Agency, 2021; WHO, 2022)
  • Contaminated water used for drinking, cooking, and watering food crops poses the greatest threat to public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers arsenic to be one of the most important contaminants in drinking water to be monitored, and its maximum concentration limit is 10 µg/l.

What can EPSE do to help?

  • Arsenic occurs in water in two common forms, As(III) and As(V), of which As(III) is more difficult to remove. It does not bind effectively to common adsorbents and does not precipitate easily using conventional treatment methods. In addition, phosphates and other anions in water can compete for the same binding sites, which reduces removal efficiency. These challenges highlight the need for new, versatile, and effective arsenic removal methods (Al Samman et al., 2023). The EPSE™ Method addresses this need by enabling arsenic precipitation even under difficult conditions. The method also works when wastewater contains multiple simultaneous contaminants—such as metals, phosphates, and other anions—and produces an easily manageable, stable sludge.

Lead (Pb)

  • Lead is a naturally occurring toxic heavy metal (WHO, 2024)
  • Lead concentrations in water rarely originate from natural sources, but mainly from wastewater and waste from mining, metal processing, and battery production.
  • As a result of industrial processes, lead concentrations have increased, particularly in areas close to mining and smelting sites (IARC, 2006).

Environmental and health impacts of lead

  • Lead is one of the most harmful heavy metals to aquatic organisms, as it causes damage even in small concentrations and particularly affects the vital functions and reproduction of sensitive species (Upadhyay, R. K. et al. 2024).
  • In addition, it is harmful to soil microbes and plants, can accumulate in the food chain, and affect ecosystem functioning (Gupta. et al. 2024).
  • Lead is a cumulative, probable carcinogen (IARC category 2A) that affects the nervous system, kidneys, blood circulation, and development. Chronic exposure can cause cognitive impairment, anemia, and high blood pressure. The WHO has set a limit of 10 µg/l for drinking water (WHO, 2023).

What can EPSE do to help?

  • Although there are several known methods for lead removal, they often have limitations that hinder effective treatment in industrial environments (Kumar. et al. 2022). The EPSE™ Method offers a solution to this challenge: it enables the efficient precipitation and separation of lead and other metals even under difficult conditions. The method produces stable solid precipitates, which facilitates sludge treatment and reduces residual concentrations in watercourses.

 

 

 Contact Us now to discuss solutions for your needs!