Index

I. DECLARATION........................................................................................................2

II. ABSTRACT...........................................................................................................3

III. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................................................................4

1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................5

2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM..........................................................................6

2.1. Purpose of the study............................................................................................6

2.2. Delimitation of the Study....................................................................................6

2.3. Definition of the key concepts............................................................................7

3. JUSTIFICATION OF THE RESEARCH..................................................................7

3.1. OBJECTIVES.....................................................................................................8

3.1.1. General:.......................................................................................................8

3.1.2. Specifics......................................................................................................8

3.2. Research questions..............................................................................................9

3.3. Research hypothesis............................................................................................9

4. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND.........................................................................10

4.1. Water management in operations In Vale.........................................................12

4.2. Water use At the company Vale Mozambique..................................................12

4.2.1. In the treatment of coal..............................................................................12

4.3. Mechanisms for water recovery at Vale Company...........................................13

4.3.1. Types of Water Treatment Used in Vale....................................................13

4.3.2. Possible Factors That Lead To Non-Complete Water Recovery In The....14

4.4. Importance of recovering water in Vale............................................................15

5. METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................16

5.1. Research tools...................................................................................................16

6. STUDY....................................................................................................................17

6.1. Questionnaires..................................................................................................18
 6.2. Observations.....................................................................................................18

7. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION...............................................................................19

7.1. Results and discussion of global results of the observation..............................19

Use of water at the Vale-Mozambique company.....................................................19

Treatment and recovery of water in the Vale company...............................................21

7.2. Results adnd discussion of global results of questionaires...............................22

8. CONCLUSION........................................................................................................25

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................26

10. WEB READING..................................................................................................27

11. Appendices...........................................................................................................28

1
 I. DECLARATION
I declare that this research project is my own work, that where the language of others is
established through citations, the quotation marks indicate, and that appropriate credit is
given where I used the language, ideas, expressions or writings of another.

I declare that the research describes the original work that was previously submitted for
assignment of any other degree from any institution.

2
 II. ABSTRACT
This research is based on demonstrating the importance of recovering and recirculation
of the water used in the treatment of coal in Vale-Mozambique for the own company
and population of Moatize. This’s important because the treatment steps of coal in the
company involve the use of large amounts of water as it is intended to take appropriate
measures to treat that liquid in order to benefit the company itself and surrounding
population. In addition, it can be stated that the waters used in the treatment of coal can
influence the low human health when not treated properly.

Readers of this project will be able to understand how the waters used in the treatment
of coal can be reused and recirculated to meet other needs, as well as what may be the
hazards that can be caused by untreated water, and which better parameters of treatment
of this water so that it is of a good quality and does not endanger the health of the
consuming population of this water.

For the execution of this work the researcher was based on tools such as observation
and interviews. Direct observations were made on the spot on water from three
processing plants, and interviews were conducted on the residents of that region. The
results obtained showed a simultaneous alteration of the soil and water under study, the
water has a low pH, resulting from the solubilization of metals during the washing
process, which, if ingested, could affect human health.

However, the understanding of water treatments used in the treatment of mineral coal is
a major task in the mining sector, which, if not properly controlled, could jeopardize the
public health of the population of surrounding area, since the same water used in the
treatment of the ore, can be used for human consumption, and other activities when well
treated.

The results of this research are not generalized for all mining companies, but it is
advisable to take account as companies are recovering and recirculating the waters so
that they take appropriate treatment measures to ensure the public health of the resident
population of the region.

3
 III. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all thank God for the constant presence in my life.

To my parents for love and unconditional dedication. My dear sisters Alcina and Catija
for understanding and encouragement in difficult times.

To my colleague and friend Bechane Parafino, who dedicated his time and helped me in
the orthographic correction of this work, and to my fellow friends who have always
been around.

Finally, to all the people that contributed directly or indirectly to the accomplishment of
this work. Thank you so much!

4
1. INTRODUCTION
The extractive industries of mineral coal depend on water to carry out their operations,
but also, it is their duty to make good use of that water in the place where they operate,
unfortunately this fact is not duly fulfilled by all Mozambican mining companies, due to
lack of knowledge workers in the field of water treatment methods, therefore, this
research is about “why is it important to recover and recirculate the water used in the
coal treatment in the Vale Mozambique for the own company and population of
Moatize”. The research was written for the reason of preventing the several flaws
committed, which were observed in the process of recovery of water from the
beneficiation stages of coal in the Vale company, which fail to result in the discharge of
polluted water on the ground, which could jeopardize the public health of the
surrounding population of Moatize that consumes this water. This research is important
because it aims to eliminate these faults, so that the water be completely recovered, to
be recirculated again to meet other needs and thus contribute to public health. Readers
of this research will know the acceptable parameters of treating polluted waters from
mining industries, and the usefulness of this water after being properly treated.

Nowadays, it is observed that almost all the extractive industries of the world, besides
using the water for the beneficiation, also use for the domestic consumption, fact that
shows that the water is a very important resource in the mining industry, so it must be
used and treated rationally after being subjected in beneficiation processes, because this
same water after properly treated following the acceptable parameters, in addition to
benefiting the company itself, can benefit the surrounding population of the region.

The research consists of the following chapters: 1: Introduction, 2: Statement of the

problem, 3: Justification of the research, 4: Theoretical Background, 5: Methodology, 6:
Study, 7: Results and discussions, 8: Conclusion, 9: Bibliography, 10: Web reading, 11:
Appendices.

5
2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The big problem is that the company Vale’Mozambique, that is dedicated to the
extraction of coal is using a large quantities of potable water to beneficiation of they
ore, and that consecutively is not comply with all parameters of treatment after using
this water, water usually after be used in the processes of processing of mineral coal is
completely degraded and contains substances which are highly harmful to human
health, in this context since the place where the company operates is also a population
which benefits from the same water for its day- to-day, the need arises to recover this
water and recirculate completely so as not to bring public health risks to the population
that consumes it, with this the writer presents the following problem “Why is it
important to recover and recirculate the water used in the coal treatment in the Vale
Mozambique for the own company and population of Moatize?”

2.1. Purpose of the study

Because the company Vale-Mozambique is using potable water and does not completely
recover all water used until it become natural again, then this research has the
fundamental purpose of demonstrating to the readers and the coal extraction companies
in general, about the great importance of recovering and recirculating the waters once
they are used in mineral processing, on the other, it also aims to demonstrate the proper
treatment procedures for these waters and the best ways of recirculating them in a way
that does not threaten the public health of the population that consume this mineral
Water.

2.2. Delimitation of the Study

This study will be carried out in Tete Province, concretely in the district of Moatize, in
the east, where the mining company vale-Mozambique that is dedicated to the
extraction of coal is located, and the study delimits itself to study only about the
pollution of waters from the stages of processing or treatment of the mineral in the Vale-
Moçambique.

6
 2.3. Definition of the key concepts
Since ancient times water has been the most important liquid in nature in this context. It
is important to say that water is a liquid resource of nature which in its natural state has
no color, smell and no taste. Therefore, it is necessary that the mining companies treat
this water after submitting it in ore treatment processes in a way that does not harm the
health of the population that uses the same source to consume this water, and it will also
serve as a cost reduction, same water for the same needs. On the other hand it is
believed that we are living for times in which there is a high index of diseases like
diarrhea, tummy aches, and yellowing of the teeth, in this context the importance of
recovery and recirculation of the water used in the treatment of ore becomes very
important because untreated water can cause such diseases described above, so the
writer of this project will carry out this research on the importance of water recovery
and recirculation in the company is worth Mozambique.

3. JUSTIFICATION OF THE RESEARCH

The researcher want research this topic first because the province of Tete is the
province, which has a large number of mining industries in the country, in this case,
miners use large amounts of water in the course of their operations, and now it is
possible to observe that the province does not have good quality, another factor is for
the city of Tete in particular the district of Moatize, presents people with dark teeth and
high complaints of diarrhea due to the quality of the water, in comparisons in relation to
a long time when they did not operate mining industries. Next, there is a need to show
the importance of recovering and recirculating water from beneficiation stations, trying
to understand if the high number of mining industries that the Province presents
contribute to the impaction of this water, since the mining industries of coal processing
use a large amount of water in the treatment of their ore, which, in turn, when this water
is not properly treated can bring negative impacts to the population that consumes this
water.

Future readers of this project will have a sense of how mining water in the treatment of
their ore can be reused and recirculated to other needs and may be able to know what
7
possible impacts may be caused by untreated waters. Mining Treaty. It will also
contribute positively to industries as it will help to take good measures in relation to the
use of water, using products suitable to treat this water after use, thereby reducing
pollution and the environment.

The expectancy waited to achieve from the results are, first, it should be pointed out that
the province of Tete was chosen for this study because it was considered at the level of
the country as having the most coal mining industries. It is hoped that this research will
achieve results that can satisfactorily answer the research topic ‘‘Why is it important to
recover and recirculate the water used in the coal treatment at Vale Mozambique for the
own company and population of Moatize?’’ To take parameters that can improve the
way of treatment of the waters after being used in the processing of the coal, thus
reducing the impacts that can be caused 1 whereas according to OAS (Organization of
American States) the industrial activities that signal more impacts to the environment
are mining and metallurgy.

3.1. OBJECTIVES
The research presents general and specific objectives on the topic that are described as
follows:

3.1.1. General:
Demonstrate through theoretical bases the relevance of the importance of recovering
water from the beneficiation of mineral coal at the Vale-Mozambique, so that the
same water can be recycled and meet other needs.

3.1.2. Specifics
This research proposal has as specific objectives:

 Know how many tons of coal are processed in a day, and know the amount of
water needed;

 Compare the current water quality of the site, compared to the old water, before
the installation of the company costs;

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_of_American_States

8
  Know how the water treatment of coal is treated;

 Investigate theories that deal with impacts caused by untreated waters; From the
treatment of coal ore;

 Investigate different forms of water treatment;

3.2. Research questions

The research will be guided by the search for answers to the following questions related
to the problem under study:

a) What are the acceptable procedures or parameters for the treatment of polluted
waters from mining activities?
b) How to deal with polluted waters when the company site resides a population
that benefits from the same water?
c) What are the impacts of polluted waters by coal?
d) What are the points of view of the directors and operators of the company on
factors that lead to complete water recovery and recirculation?

3.3. Research hypothesis

In order to provide a brief solution to the problem “Why is it important to recover and
recirculate the water used in the coal treatment in the Vale Mozambique for the own
company and population of Moatize?”, it can be said that this research has the following
hypotheses:

a) Recovered water completely reduces the costs of acquiring new water and can
use the same water for other mining processes.
b) Recovered waters are completely important because they reduce the pollution
index of groundwater, that is, reduces contact with receptors, thus contributing
to the good public health of the population that consumes this water.
c) It is also important to recover water from beneficiation in order to comply with
environmental rules and good mining practices.
d) d) Recovered water has great importance that, besides benefiting the company
itself, also benefits the environment of the neighboring population, thus reducing
public health threats.

9
4. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
This stage presents some theories, history and definitions related to the study topic
"Why is it important to recover and recirculate the water used in the treatment of coal in
the company Vale Mozambique for the own company and population of Moatize?", As
well as some updated quotations from some authors on the problem under study also
include some headings and sub headings that show how water is used in the company,
starting from the capture, the use, the water management, the recovery and recirculation
and the importance of recovering the same one.

This research deals with a case study about the mining company Vale Mozambique and
its employees in the understanding of the importance of recovering most of the waters
after the same one is used in the processes of treatment or beneficiation of the coal so
that it can be recirculated of the same one of to meet other needs. It also strengthens the
knowledge about how water is polluted in the mining industry concretely in the stages
of coal processing and what the hazards that this water can present when consumed
without being treated, and also establishes knowledge of how to treat water from
beneficiation processes dictating the acceptable parameters and the importance of
treating these waters.

It is well known that since a long time water has been the source of life for nature and
for man, man uses water to meet various needs in order to achieve a goal. With the
increase in global globalization and the search for new technologies, this water has also
been very degraded and consumed in a brutal way, 2where 73 percent’s of water is used
in agriculture, 21 percent’s in industries and 6 percent’s for human consumption.

According to Silva (2002: 43) the mining industries are the most polluted of the water in
world, this pollution comes from several activities, such as the washing of machinery,
stages of treatment of the mineral and other activities. The level of severity of water
pollution depends on the mineral composition of the mineral that the company intends
to extract, and how the water is treated and replaced.

Trajano (1997:233) states that minerals with a high carbon content, such as mineral
coal, are very dangerous when they come into contact with water and require special
care in the event of their treatment, otherwise they can cause disease when this water is
consumed. similar to that of the company Vale Mozambique, because it is a company

2 http://www.worldometers.info/water/

10
engaged in the extraction of coal which in the treatment of their mineral they use a large
amounts of water taken from a source.

According to Rubio (2000: 343). The mineral processing industries are highly
dependent on the water supply for the operation of their process steps. It is obvious that
the mining industries without water could not have a function of supplying completely
adequate mineral.

The use of the waters in coal mining began in the mid-twentieth century, due to the
great demands of the use of that mineral, coal began to be used as an energy source, and
there was a need to produce more and more coal of better quality and with the
requirements demanded by the client. It was during this period in Brazil that a group of
miners discovered that the water was used to benefit coal and that an adequate final
product could be produced.

Nellas (1998: 128) states that in the past water was only used and then dumped, there
were no controls and no parameters that dictated the same, but currently there are norms
that regulate the use of water and acceptable parameters of pollution.

The problem of water pollution through treatment of coal ore is a problem that has long
been a major concern, since coal is an extremely toxic substance. This research deals
with the importance of recovering and recirculating waters from the treatment of coal
ore in the Mozambique valley, since the company uses large amounts of water to benefit
its mineral and whose same water is not fully recovered by reasons for not enough
knowledge of the workers and inefficiency of the treatment machines, once the
population of Moatize needs for their human consumption, then arises the need to prove
the importance of recovering all water to recirculate all over again.

As possible solutions to the problem described above about the importance of

recovering water, Trajano (1997: 143) assumes that recovered water completely reduces
the costs of acquiring new water and can use the same water for other mining processes.

The same author also states that recovered waters are completely important because
they reduce the pollution index of groundwater, that is, reduce contact with receptors,
thus contributing to the good public health of the population that consumes this water.

11
It is also important to recover water from beneficiation in Vale so as to comply with
environmental rules and good mining practices. This author demonstrates through his
theories that recovered water has great importance that in addition to benefiting the
company itself, also benefits population surroundings, in this way then arises the need
to demonstrate the importance of recovering water in the company Vale Mozambique.

4.1. Water management in operations In Vale

3
The company is worth Mozambique, In order to maintain its commitment to the
management of water resources, Vale invests in technologies that reduce the demand
and the abstraction of water in its operations.

According to Levay (2001:115) water management in an organization is a very

important task, management involves safe water abstraction, good use, less impacts and
reutilization of at least 70 percent of the water used in the production processes. This
context contradicts the management of water in the company, which, according to a
series of questionnaires made on the workers, shows that in Mozambique, the company
now uses only more than 40% of the water used in its production processes that is
considered weak water management.

4.2. Water use At the company Vale Mozambique

According to data collected through observation, they show that the company is worth
Mozambique, it requires daily of approximately 1.5 million liters of water to meet its
daily needs, where 20 percent of this water is used for human consumption and washing
of machinery, and the rest of the water, is used for treatment or treatment of the ore in
the mills. This water is captured at a source 5 kilometers from the company.

4.2.1. In the treatment of coal

According to Yamamoto (1990: 243) The Treatment or Processing of ores consist of
operations that seek to modify the granulometry, relative concentration and / or shape of
the minerals, without changing their chemical and physical identities.

The water in the beneficiation of coal in the company vale is used in the stages like
Dewatering, where the main purpose is to obtain a final product of low humidity, and
this phase is the one that depends more on the water to operate, this phase is divided

3 http://www.vale.com/mozambique/pt/initiatives/environmental-management/water-
management/paginas/default.aspx

12
into four sub phases that are Sedimentation, Filtering, Centrifugation and Drying. In this
phase, 80 percent of the water abstracted is used, equivalent to 1.2 million liters per day
used only at this stage. Water comes in direct contact with the mineral coal, in a time
that lasts approximately thirty minutes and leaves completely modified and polluted by
substances that compose the coal, the water after being used contains substances like
Acid drainage mining, that by definition 4Acid Drainage of is the acidic aqueous
solution generated when sulfide minerals present in waste (waste or sterile) are oxidized
in the presence of water. This goes according to Brown and Kevin (1998: 232) when
they states that mining acid drainage is one of the most serious environmental impacts
associated with the mining activity. Of the 80 percent of the water used to treat coal,
almost 8 percent of the water is discharged by filtration and evaporation at the operation
of the machines, and the rest of the water is taken to a recovery station owned by the
company.

4.3. Mechanisms for water recovery at Vale Company

According to Silva (2006: 87) the recovery of water from the stages of mineral
processing is an operation that consists of the removal of all substances that the water
contains until it returns to its normal state, this represents one of the main challenges of
mining companies to recover waters polluted by their activities, because these water
supports fully recovered can meet other needs, reducing the costs of catching other
waters.

Data collected through observation and questionnaires in the company Vale

Mozambique show that the company has only one water treatment unit. Of the 864000
liters per day of water arriving at the recovery unit, only recovered 60 percent of the
water, the equivalent of 518400 liters, the rest of the water 345600 are not recovered.

4.3.1. Types of Water Treatment Used in Vale

5
Water treatment is an activity that consists of recovering polluted water through
various natural or chemical processes in order to restore water to the required quality
standards.

Generally the effluent treatment plants are based on several steps. According to Nunes
(2004: 58), we can classify the wastewater treatment in the following levels or phases:

4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_mine_drainage
5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_treatment

13
Primary treatment, Primary treatment, Secondary treatment, Tertiary or advanced
treatment.

According to observations made in the company's voucher, they have shown that the
type of treatment employed in the company is only Preliminary treatment, primary and
secondary. It can be seen then that the lack of advancing treatment can result and
pollution damages, since if dealing with coal you need advanced treatment.

a. Preliminary treatment

The company uses the preliminary treatment to remove only very coarse, floating solids
and sedimentable mineral matter. The preliminary treatment processes are as follows:
railings; sanders (sand boxes); oil and fat retention boxes; sieves.

b. Primary treatment

It is used to remove suspended organic matter and the BOD (Biochemical Oxygen
Demand) partially decreases. The primary treatment processes are as follows: primary
or simple settling; chemical precipitation with low efficiency; floating; neutralization.

c. Secondary treatment

The company uses this treatment to remove dissolved organic matter in the agau and in
suspension. BOD decreases almost entirely. Depending on the adopted system, the
removal efficiencies are high. Secondary treatment processes are the following:
activated sludge processes; stabilization ponds; high efficiency anaerobic systems;
aerated lagoons; biological filters; chemical precipitation with high efficiency.

4.3.2. Possible Factors That Lead To Non-Complete Water Recovery In The

Vale Company

During a series of questionnaires made on 26 Vale workers about which procedures to

adequately treat contaminated water by mineral processing, results have shown that
some operators in the area do not have sufficient knowledge about the matter, and this is
one of the facts that contributes to the non-complete recovery of water.

Another factor observed is referring to the machines that are used to treat these waters
and the mechanism used, this goes according to Chiavenato (1999: 128) when he states

14
that the main causes that lead to the non-efficiency of an activity may be due to lack of
workers professionals trained in the field, and also the use of inefficient machines.

Another factor that contributes to the non-complete recovery of water in the valley is the
treatment of water used in that company, the company only uses 3 forms of water
treatment, contradicting the idea of Nunes (2004: 98) when it states that there are 4
ways of water treatment in the valley. Treatment used in mining industries for the
treatment of water, namely primary, primary, secondary, and advanced treatment, Vale
uses only the first 3 treatments.

4.4. Importance of recovering water in Vale

As it is already known that water is an indispensable liquid for human life, then the need
arises to take care of this liquid so as not to bring about health problems due to the
current misuse of mining industries.

The water coming from the beneficiation stages in the company is worth recovering
because recovered water can be re-circulated, where it can be used for irrigation,
washing machines, thus reducing other additional costs on abstraction, according to
William (2003: 45) when it says that the mining sector has the duty to recover water
under the legislation so that it benefits the surrounding population and the company
itself, because fully recovered waters reduce enormous costs of acquiring other waters.

Another important aspect of fully recovering water is that the place where Vale
Mozambique operates is a population, and that this population needs the same water to
complete their day-to-day activities, so this water must be recovered so that this
population therefore needs to recover this water using adequate mechanisms so that it
does not cause collateral damages to the health of that population, since the water from
stages of processing contains heavy substances.

According to a series of questionnaires made on the inhabitants of Moatize on the

comparison of water quality before and after the installation of the company Vale
Mozambique, three types of different answers were highlighted. 35 Percent of
respondents said that the water is modified and does not taste the same, as a result of
which there has been a high rate of diarrhea, 23 percent said that the water is yellowish
and as a result people have yellow teeth.

15
These responses are hand in hand with Pinto (2002: 45) when he says that polluted
waters originating from mining activities need to be properly treated in order to return
to their normal state, otherwise when people consume can bring about collateral
damages like diseases. In this case, in order to prevent this, it is extremely important to
recover water from the beneficiation stages of the ore in Vale Mozambique, first so as
not to jeopardize the health of the population of Moatize since the population benefits
from the same water source, and secondly because by recovering the water and
recirculating again, there will be a reduction of the costs of acquiring a new water house
for the company.

5. METHODOLOGY
This field addresses the methodological procedures that the writer used in this research
to collect information to respond to the research topic and seek appropriate solutions to
overcome the problem. "Why is it important to recover and recirculate the water used in
the treatment of coal in the company Vale Mozambique for the own company and
population of Moatize?", Marconi & Lakatos (1999: 67) defines the methodology as the
description of the paths, the instruments used to make a scientific research.

Regarding the approach, the research is qualitative and quantitative at the same time.
The research used quantitative research method with the aim of deducing or knowing
exactly the quantities of water needed used and polluted in the treatment of ore in the
company is worth Mozambique, and therefore the qualitative methods were used in the
research for the purpose of deducting or to measure the quality of the water after being
used and to go through the treatment stages to meet other needs.

5.1. Research tools

The research tools used in this research research with the purpose of collecting required
information are highlighted by observations of use and series of questionnaires that
were performed in the work environment of the company on the workers and resident
population surrounding that company.

As described above, the observations were used in this research to directly observe the
environment where mineral coal treatment operations are performed in the company

16
costs involving water, and on the other hand, the forms or techniques that are used to the
treatment of this water after being polluted in the act of treating coal.

The observations were made in processing plants and a water treatment station of the
company Vale-Mozambique, and it showed profound results on which condition the
importance of treating polluted water and recirculate again, which is the theme
developed in this research.

On the other hand, the questionnaires were given directly directed at the workers of the
valley company, and also on some neighbors neighboring the Moatize region through a
series of issues drafted by the writer.

Population and sample

The study population for the information gathering act was composed of workers and
citizens residing in Moatize of both sexes, ranging from ages 23 to 57 years of age, who
already work in the company and reside in the district for several years .

According to data obtained directly from the central offices of Vale Mozambique, in
2017 the company has approximately 150 workers who work in processing plants and
water treatment stations.

Thus, the study sample consisted of approximately 45% (forty-five percent) of the
estimated population, counting on the collaboration of approximately 70 workers, being
52 men and 18 women. Also participating in this research were 10 surrounding residents
of the region, 7 men and 3 women. On the other hand, polluted water from the
beneficiation of mineral coal was also withdrawn before being treated for a laboratory
study, an amount of 5 liters equivalent to 0.0005% of the amount of water that arrives at
the treatment unit.

6. STUDY
This chapter deals with the data collection tools used by the writer during the research,
in this chapter the collection tools are more detailed illustrating all the processes and
facilitating in the perception of how the data were collected

17
As already mentioned above, to collect information with a view to giving a favorable
answer to the problem “Why is it important to recover and recirculate the water used in
the treatment of coal in the company Vale Mozambique for the own company and
population of Moatize?”, tools such as observations of use that execute in the ambit of
the work environment of the company where the operations are executed, and also the
research used series of questionnaires that were directed to a part of the workers of the
company and a part of the population of Moatize through a series of issues developed
by the author himself.

6.1. Questionnaires
It is obvious that the research was done in three processing plants and in a water
treatment plant of the company Vale Moçambique.

The research was primarily based on questionnaires that were developed and submitted
to workers operating in the processing plants and treatment station to give their
perception about the factors that lead to the complete recovery of the water and to say
what about the importance of recovery from Water. Data were collected using primary
sources. Initially, heads of processing plants and their operators received questionnaires
in August 2017, after which the questionnaires were collected after 4 days. Obviously,
the respondents answered questions related to "why is it important to collect water used
in the treatment of the Mozambican region for the own company and population of
moatize?"

Generally, of the seventy workers selected for study, only twenty-five workers from the
Vale-Moçambique company including the chiefs were asked to collect information on
the importance of recovering and recirculating waters and factors that make it difficult.

6.2. Observations
Obviously the research used the observation tool to directly observe the work
environment where all company operations involving water use are performed,
practically the observations were made in two processing plants and water treatment
plants in the company, with the aim of to improve the perception of the observer to
understand how the water is used and the stages that passes. Information collected by

18
observation showed profound results on which condition the importance of treating
polluted waters and recirculate again, which is the theme developed in this research.
Observations provide us with reliable and certain knowledge because the observer is
present and deals with the phenomena to be observed. Five liters of water were removed
and their qualities observed before and after being used in the processing stages, results
obtained by this tool showed that the water is collected potable and that after being used
coal treatment becomes completely acidic.

7. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This phase presents the results obtained in this research directed to answer the problem
of the research "Why is it important to recover and recirculate the water used in the
treatment of coal in the company Vale Mozambique for the own company and
population of Moatize?”.

The results are presented in tables, pie charts and bar graph with the objective of better
understanding and visualization of the reader, in addition to the descriptive presentation.
First, the data containing the characteristics of the group, study with respect to gender,
water quantity and water quality are presented.

The following are the results of the research regarding factors that lead to the causes of
the difficulty of not completely recovering and recirculating the polluted waters in the
company Vale Moçambique.

In the same way, in the sequence, we present the results of why to recover water and
recycle them again in a place where residents live.

7.1. Results and discussion of global results of the observation

Use of water at the Vale-Mozambique company

It is already known that the mining industry requires the use of high quantities of water
for its operations, that this water plays an extremely important role for the execution of
the routine activities of extraction and production of its mineral.

19
Observations made in the Vale Mozambique company showed that the company needs
enormous amounts of water to carry out its activities, which in this research were
estimated the daily quantities of water required for all activities. The company needs
approximately 1.5 million liters of water daily for all company demands, where this
water is subdivided into several stages for its use. For a better understanding, the
following is a pie chart referring to the use of water in the company:

Use of water at the Vale-Mozambique company

5.00%
15.00%

80.00%

Ore benefitiation Ma chi nes wa s hes Huma n Cons umption

The present pie chart illustrates about the total amount of drinking water used daily to
suit every company's needs where they are divided into three divisions.

According to the data found in this study, water is dramatically used at almost four-
fifths of the equivalent of 1200,000 liters for treating coal in the company, and that 1/5
(one fifth) of the water abstracted, the equivalent of 300,000 liters is for the washing of
machinery and For the human consumption of the company, where 15% and 5% are
available for washing machinery and human consumption respectively, which is less
used for human consumption.

In conclusion, it can be noted that much of the water is widely used in the treatment
stages of coal where it is used at approximately 1200,000 liters per day of water and that

20
 water is less used in the company for human consumption where only 5% (five percent)
the equivalent of 75,000 liters of water per day required for human consumption in the
company.

According to Scallop (1990: 123), it states that mining companies use more water in the
processing stages of their mineral, so this fact goes hand in hand with what happens in
the valley, where most of the water is used to benefit the mineral.

Treatment and recovery of water in the Vale company

According to data obtained by means of direct observations performed at a processing
plant and a water treatment station, they have shown surprising results on the state of
the water. Polluted water from the beneficiation of mineral coal was withdrawn before
being treated for a laboratory study, an amount of 5 liters equivalent to 0.0005% of the
amount of water that arrives at the treatment unit, and a slight alteration of the due to the
contamination of toxic substances that come from the treatment of coal, where the water
had a low hydrogen potential of approximately 5.6 and can be called acid water,
according to Klops (2001: 234) when he states that the contaminated water during the
stage of processing of the mineral have low pH due to the acid drainage that the coal
disposes.

It was then compared to the water quality before being employed in the treatment phase
and after being treated, where the results are described in the following graph:

State of the water in relation to the hydrogen potential after submitted to me stages of beneficiation and recovery in the company Vale-Mozambique

Recuperated Water

After Submited in ore Treatment

Water Before Used

0 1 2 3 4Column2 5 6 7 8

21
Graph 1: State of the water in relation to the hydrogen potential after submitted to me
stages of beneficiation and recovery in the company Vale-Mocambique

The bar graph is about the State of the water in relation to the hydrogen potential after
submitted to me stages of beneficiation and recovery in the company Vale mocambique,
In the vertical axis represents the stages that the water is submitted, and the vertical axis
represents the level of potential of hydrogen that each stage presents.

According to the graph, there is a dramatic increase in the hydrogen potential when the
water has not yet been subjected to any stage of operation, and a low pH is
consecutively presented when the water is submitted to the treatment stages of the coal,
up to 5,6.

In this way it can be concluded that the water becomes more polluted when subjected to
stages of treatment of coal, and according to the graph, the water is not completely
recovered because it has a pH of 6.7, which means that it still contains impurities.

The fact that the water is not completely recovered can occur according to silva (2006:
23), he states that pure water is one that presents a pH that varies in the scale of 7,
otherwise this water is still polluted and contains impurities.

7.2. Results adnd discussion of global results of questionaires

According to a series of questionnaires divided into several questions, conducted over

the

the sample population, of which 70 employees of the company were questioned in the
state of Mocambique, being 52 males, equivalent to 74.3% and 18 females, equivalent
to 25.7% of the total population. Recovery at the Vale-Mozambique Company, in order
to better understand the problem under study. The results obtained are described in a
table below:

Questions Number of respondents Percentages

(%)

22
 1. Why is the polluted water Lack of appropriate equipment-14 20
coming from coal
Lack of sufficient knowledge of matter-38 54,3
processing plants is not
completely recovered? Lack of unqualified operators-18 25,7
2. Why do you think polluted To benefit the company itself-10 14,3
water should be treated? To benefit the company and population of 45,7
Moatize-32
To reduce additional costs of catching new 40
waters-28
3. Do you know the acceptable yes-27 38,6
parameters of international No-43 61,4
water treatment?
4. How could you choose to Train workers-17 24,2
improve the form of water
choose for better equipment 23 32,9
treatment, to recirculate all
Empower workers and Opt for better 42,9
polluted water again?
equipment-30
Table 1. questions elaborated for workers of the company Vale Mozambique

The present table is about the questions asked about the workers directed to answer
about The Factors That Lead to Non-Complete Water Recovery at the Vale-
Mozambique Company, in order to give an agreeable answer to the problem solving.

In the first column we have the question number made, and in the second we have the
number of workers' answers and in the last column we have the percentage of answer
taken by the workers.

According to the table it can be observed that in the first question there was a greater
percentage of response in what refers to Lack of sufficient knowledge of the operators
in the matter of water treatment, and in turn there was less percentage of response in
what refers to lack equipment.

In relation to the second question, there was a dramatic response rate for the benefit of
the company and population of Moatize, and in the third question there was a higher
percentage of negative responses.

23
Thus, according to the observations made can be concluded that the polluted waters in
the company valley, coming from the stages of treatment of coal are not completely
recovered by lack of sufficient knowledge of workers in the matter of water treatment,
and this goes according to chiavenato (1998: 121) when he states that the difficulty of
recovering polluted waters in an organization or company may be due to the presence of
workers who have no knowledge about the treatment matter, and this fact is also
observed in question two, which shows results that workers do not know acceptable
treatment parameters.

Question two, demonstrates the great relevance of the importance of recovering the
polluted water of the mining company to benefit the company and population of
Moatize, with a percentage of approximately 45.7% of responses. This is also defended
by the Chave (1990: 126), when he states that when the polluted water of the mining
industries is fully recovered, it can meet other needs, benefiting the company itself in
reducing other additional costs of acquiring new water. population that uses the same
water for consumption.

8. CONCLUSION
The research focused on the importance of recovery and recirculation of the water used
in the treatment of mineral coal in the company Vale Mozambique, where water is
collected from a source and used not only for the beneficiation of the ore but also for
human consumption. Results obtained concluded that the water involved in the coal
treatment process has a low hydrogen potential and can therefore be considered as acid
water, and that in the treatment of the same water, not all the water to be recirculated
according to results collected through questionnaires, the difficulty of treatment lies in
the lack of knowledge of the workers in the matter of water treatment. It is also
concluded that fully recovered water can gradually reduce the costs of acquiring new
water and benefit the population that uses the same water for human consumption, so it
is very important to know why it is important to recover polluted water.

24
It is obvious that the author was able to achieve the expected results of the research,
thus achieving the objective of this research, which is to demonstrate the importance of
recovering and recirculating the water coming from the treatment of coal in the valley of
Mozambique.

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Brown,S., and Kevin, M., (1998), Mines acid drainage of Coal ore, America:
Golden press
2. Chaves, P.,(2002: 45) Beneficiation of ore 4th edition,brasil:UFRGS
3. Chiavenato, L., (1999), factors that led to efficiencies of an activity in a mine
industry, South Africa: SA edithor
4. Dentel, S.K. (1991), Coagulant control in water treatment, Critical Reviews in
Environmental Control, Delaware: university of Delaware.
5. Klops, F., (2001), contamination of water by mines activities, Golden Colorado:
Elsevier Sciences Publishers B.V., 1986
6. Levay ,Y.,(2001), the water management in an organization, Delaware: university
of Delaware
7. Marconi, M, and Lakatos, E. M., (1999). Research Techniques: Planning
and execution of research, sampling and research techniques,
preparation, analysis and interpretation of data,São Paulo: Atlas.

25
 8. Nellas, P., (1998), acceptance norms of impacts of mining activity, Belo
Horizonte: IETEC.
9. Nunes, C., (2004), treatment of polluted water vol 2-particular case of gold ore,
South Africa: SA edithor
10. Rubio, J. F., and Tessele, P. A.,(2002), Processes for the treatment of effluents in
mining, Brazil: Rio press
11. Silva, L.A., (2002), water impact of mining’s activities, Brazil: Rio press
12. Silva, L.A., (2003), process of water recovering, Brazil: Rio press
13. Silva, L.A., (2006). Water impact of mining’s activities third edition, Brazil: Rio
press.
14. Trajano, B., (1995:), the recovering and recirculating mines water polluted, Rio:
CETEM/MCT
15. Vieira, L., (1990), demands of water in mines industries-case of coal minerals,
Australia: Australian press council
16. William,N., (2003), legislation of mining industries, Canada: kimps press
17. Yamamoto.K.J., (1990), treatment of coal mineral, Santa Vitoria Academic:
EDUSP

10. WEB READING

18. Water consumption statistic. retrieved October 26 of 2017 from:

http://www.worldometers.info/water/
19. Vale-Mozambique water management, retrieved form august 16 of 2017 from:
http://www.vale.com/mozambique/pt/initiatives/environmentalmanagement/water
-management/paginas/default.aspx
20. Acid mine drainage, retrieved October 10 of 2017 from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_mine_drainage
21. Water treatment, retrieved October 10 of 2017 from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_treatment
22. Acceptable international parameters of water pollution, retrieved august 23
of 2017 from:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_of_American_States

26
11. Appendices

Appendix1: workers questionnaires

1. Why the polluted water coming from coal processing plants is not completely
recovered _________________________?

a) Lack of appropriate equipment

b) Lack of sufficient knowledge of the subject

c) Lack of unqualified operators

2. Why do you think polluted water should be treated?

a) To benefit the company itself

b) To benefit the company and population of Moatize

c) To reduce additional costs of catching new waters

3. Do you know the acceptable parameters of international water treatment_________?

27
a) Yes

b) No

4. How could you choose to improve water treatment training, to recirculate all polluted
water again __________?

a) Train workers

b) choose for better equipment

c) Train workers and opt for better equipment

28