VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 13,
2022 /CNW/ - BQE Water Inc. (TSXV: BQE), a
leader in the treatment and management of mine
impacted waters, has signed an Operating Services Agreement to
provide operations services for a water treatment plant utilizing
its award winning Selen-IX™ process technology for selenium removal
at a base metal project in Southwestern USA. The plant will treat
impacted waters to remove selenium and dissolved metals in
compliance with permitted water quality requirements.
Under the agreement, BQE Water will provide plant commissioning
and operations services for an initial period of three years upon
completion of the plant performance test. Compensation for plant
operations services will consist of a base monthly fee per volume
of water treated that meets discharge specifications and a
supplemental fee for additional water treated for discharge.
"As we move towards decarbonization, projects such as this will
play an important role in producing the metals essential for a low
carbon future," stated David
Kratochvil, President & CEO of BQE Water. "We are proud
to be providing vital and comprehensive water management services
for modern mining. From our Selen-IX™ process that satisfies
key project criteria for low single digit parts per billion of
selenium while being able to ramp up and down in response to
treatment needs, to our operational expertise that guarantees plant
performance as designed, we are excited to be contributing to the
shift to clean energy."
Operating 24/7 year-round, the plant has the capacity to treat
up to 4,500 gallons of water per minute. The plant will first
remove dissolved metals followed by selenium removal to below 2
parts per billion to produce clean water for discharge to the
environment. Selen-IX™ as a non-biological technology offers
superior water quality, operational flexibility and lower operating
costs than competing biological selenium treatment systems.
Prior to this agreement, BQE Water conducted laboratory testing
in 2019 to successfully demonstrate the capability of Selen-IX™.
This resulted in a contract partnering with Black & Veatch in
early 2020 to design the Selen-IX™ water treatment plant which is
now in the construction phase with commissioning expected to
commence in the first half of 2023.
About Selen-IX™
Selen-IX™ is a patented, award-winning
process technology that is currently the only commercially
available non-biological treatment system that has been applied on
a large scale to remove the selenate form of selenium from
wastewater. Selen-IX™ removes selenium to below detection limits,
has zero risk of acute and chronic effluent toxicity and the
by-product of treatment is a stable solid residue with offtake
potential. Selenium removal and its management is an environmental
issue of concern in mining, metallurgical processing and power
generation where process water comes into contact with selenium
bearing compounds contained in mineral deposits and fossil fuels.
In recognition of its disruptive nature, Selen-IX™ is the recipient
of the 2021 Environmental Award from Engineers & Geoscientists
British Columbia, a 2021 Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering
Achievement Honor Award from Chemical Engineering Magazine and a
2022 Top Project Award from Canada's Clean50.
About BQE Water
BQE Water is a service provider
specializing in water treatment and management for metals mining,
smelting and refining. We are helping to transform the way
industry thinks about water in the context of natural resource
projects by offering services and expertise which enables more
sustainable water management practices and improved overall project
performance at reduced risks. BQE Water invests in innovation and
has developed unique intellectual property through the
commercialization of several technologies at mine sites around the
world for organizations including Glencore, Jiangxi Copper,
Freeport-McMoRan and the US EPA. BQE Water is headquartered in
Vancouver, Canada and trades on
the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol BQE. Visit
www.bqewater.com for more information.
The Toronto Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not
accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this
release.
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SOURCE BQE Water Inc.