Techno-economic Analysis of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)

“The speed and ease of use of the product accelerates the rate at which projects are assessed and ultimately approved.“

~ R&D Engineer

Lewi was chosen to assess the techno-economic viability of a novel microbial cell encapsulation technology for acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment. The client needed to validate commercial feasibility across multiple process configurations within a tight timeline.

Solution

Lewi conducted a full Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) using its FloWire™ platform to simulate microbial growth, polymer/carrier production, and water treatment processes. Five process scenarios were tested, benchmarking against conventional AMD treatment technologies. The analysis identified the optimal business case, process configuration, and substrate choice.

Impact

• Time Savings - Delivered comprehensive TEA in 8 weeks, saving the client an estimated 4 months on a typical 6-month project timeline.

• Cost Efficiency - Delivered under expected budget for the project, using FloWire™ automation to streamline scenario testing.

• Investment Readiness - Identified a path to significantly reduce total investment costs, and improve IRR, enabling the client to present a compelling case to investors.

• Strategic Guidance - Advised against one of the proposed business cases, recommending strategic partnerships to achieve similar results with significantly reduced CAPEX.