Identification of critical water stress factors that impact mining: technical solution

Planning the water resources given the current climatic conditions requires making complex decisions, water scarcity has changed the current scenarios and industries have had to look for technological alternatives that allow it to continue operating in the long-term. This paper analyzes the importance of water stress and identifies the main geographical areas, in Chile, in which it is generated. In addition, the desalination of seawater is proposed as a high investment technological option, with high energy costs that can be used in the production processes of the mining. With a panel of experts, the critical factors that are required for a technical solution alternative are determined, through the installation of a desalination plant, using techniques such as reverse or reverse osmosis.