ORAC Project

Rain Water Reuse Optimization

Anglo developed the ORAC Project at the Copebrás unit in Cubatão, which resulted in reduction of water consumption, from 600 m3/h to 350 m3/h (between 1997 and 2008), and also reduction in water disposal by 50%, from 600 m3 to 300 m3 in the same period. The unit also registered a high rate of water reuse, which occurs inside the production units and among them. Thanks to initiatives by the unit’s and the maintenance area’s operators, changes have been implemented which made possible to reuse the whole production process water of the granulated fertilizer unit, turning it into “zero effluent”. Improvement studies are being performed to achieve the “zero effluent” level also at the ground fertilizer unit.

The volume of recycled water in Cubatão during 2009 increased approximately 90% in relation to 2008 due to improvements implemented at the distribution network of this type of resource and initiatives to increase recycling at the units.

Due to the characteristics of the water basin in which the Cubatão unit is located and the abundance of water in relation to the demand in the region, effluent disposal becomes environmentally more relevant than water intake for production.

In 2009, the unit registered an 18% reduction in water intake as compared to 2008, which can be attributed mainly to production decrease caused by a drop in demand resulting from the world economic crisis. In relation to 2004, the site achieved a 30% reduction in water intake.

In addition to Copebrás, other Anglo units have also been adopting procedures for water consumption reduction and reuse. The Catalão/Ouvidor and Niquelândia operations, as well as those of Cubatão have already achieved 83% of reused water, with 17% in relation to collected water. In 2009, a 5% increase in water reuse was registered in relation to the previous year.

Water consumption in the Barro Alto Project has been growing, following the pace of the construction works, which include a reservoir with capacity for 2 million liters – which has been filled since August 2009; as of 2011, with the start of operations of the new nickel plant, it will supply the water recirculation system that will feed the whole operation, thus restricting the need for new intakes only to replacement of evaporation losses in the reservoir.