translated from Spanish: Desalination plants: a key solution for industry

water has always been fundamental in the productive gear of any economic activity. Being a definitive factor for human consumption, especially in those places where open wrench and fill a glass with water drinking is an almost impossible dream. Thus confirm that the figures of the United Nations, which show that more than 700 million people worldwide do not have access to drinking water. And 1,800 million people live in conditions of serious shortage of water for 2025.En lathe to these worrying figures, many are the decision makers who have turned their hopes to the oceans, since they contain 97% of water on the planet. INDUSTRIASEn the case of the mining sector, the challenge is to decompress the watershed in an area heavily affected by drought, as it is the North of the country. To do so, have incorporated new technologies aimed at improving efficiency in the use of these resources. And it is in this search that has a relevant role the use of water desalinated or directly from the sea in their processes. This is demonstrated by the figures given by the report “Consumption of water and energy in the copper mining” of the Chilean copper Commission (Cochilco), whose numbers are exposed that consumption will practically reach the levels of consumption of inland waters. Increasing from 2010 to 2017 by 52% that of sea water in copper mining. In the Region of Arica and Parinacota, for example, is operating the desalination plant of Minera Pampa shrimp, which consists of a pipe that extracts direct seawater for processes of 12.5 litres/sec. While in the Region of Antofagasta a milestone took place last year when Minera Escondida officially inaugurated the second desalination plant of seawater in port colossus, with a capacity of 2,500 litres per second (l/s) and to add to that already operates in the mism or place from 2016 (of 525 l/s). This project required an investment of US $3.430 billion and involves the transport of water to 3,200 meters above the sea level, making it the largest in its kind in America and Europe.

Original source in Spanish