New Technologies on Mine Process Tailing Disposal

International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 2017

Surface paste disposal (SPD) technology has been investigated recently to solve the geotechnical (tailings dam failure) and geochemical (acid mine drainage formation) problems relating to tailings disposal. The tailings dam accidents occurred in the last few years have expedited the researches to search for safer tailings disposal methods in mining industry. The aim of this study is to investigate which parameters affect the geotechnical and geochemical stability of sulphidic paste tailings as SPD. The pH, EC and crack intensity of paste tailings placed in layers were measured to observe how the parameters affect their stability. In this study, it can be seen that solid concentration of the paste material increases above ~80 wt.%, and its shear strength is above 20 kPa. In addition, the pH values reduced from 7.4 to 6.6 and the EC values increased from 2.9 to 3.3 mS/cm in seepage water of the paste layers. According to these values, it can be said that there is a very low environmental risk using the SPD. Results showed the applicability of the SPD method by obtaining geochemical and geotechnical stability.

Engineering Journal of Satbayev University

Million tonnes of tailings are formed in the world each year due to increasing mining activities along with the increase in need for raw materials. The tailings may cause important environmental problems. Therefore, tailings management is very important issue in mining operations. In recent years, with the developing technology, the new tailing disposal technologies such as paste and using geotextile materials have increased considerably. These methods have many advantages in terms of both environmental and cost reducing. Another important issue in terms of mining is the accidents and occupational health problems in underground coal mines. The problems can be described as spontaneous combustion, roof collapse, gases extraction from coal bed, and etc. These accidents have been significantly reduced with use of mining chemicals in underground mines. In this study, tailing management and mining chemicals which are very important in terms of mining applications are examined.

The greatest challenge ahead of the Iron ore mining industry is to tackle the issues related to management of tailings. The tailing disposal and storage methods are sensitive to the environment and care must be taken to keep them at the helm. The method being practiced for disposing the tailings is as thickener underflow at around 45% solids. The development of paste thickener & deep cone thickener are encouraging and can dispose tailings at around 65% solids. However, they are yet to be established over different range of mineral tailings and also the economic aspects related to their transportation are yet to be resolved. Thus the development of improved tailing disposal system is of paramount importance and need of the hour. Filtration of tailings after thickening is an alternative to current practices. However, the suitability of this application is to be assessed for tailings of different nature. In this perspective an attempt has been made to assess the filterability of tailings generated from beneficiation of slimes from Donimalai area. From the studies it is evident that the application of filtration process to these tailings is encouraging. By adopting pressure filtration technique it was possible to produce filtered tailings with moisture in the range of 16 -21%. It is possible to get the filtration rate in the range of 200 -300 Kg/hr/m 2 while operating in the aforesaid moisture range. The greatest advantage ascertained is in the reduction in volume of tailings to be disposed by around 63% which is significant apart from increase in the water recovery by about 10%.

Mugla Journal of Science and Technology, 2018

In this study, the basic principles of paste technology which has been implemented successfully in the mining industry for both waste volume reduction and environmental impact reduction were investigated. In the past two decades, paste technology has progressed from a research-based mine backfill idea to a widely accepted and cost-effective fill system with the potential to totally change the approach tailings are disposed on the surface. Application of paste tailings for modern mines was shown experimentally by laboratory and field testing, focusing on intrinsic (e.g., tailings, cement and mix water properties) and extrinsic (e.g., in situ mixing, placement and curing conditions) parameters. Results indicate that use of paste tailings as backfilling and disposal in the mining industry as an innovative and environmentally sound system can guarantee operational continuity by reducing environmental (e.g., tailings dam failure, acidic water formation) and financial concerns over the mine's life. Finally, paste technology enables mining operators to better manage their problematic tailings produced in the mineral processing plants.

This paper summarizes research done on mine tailings management and explores new trends in the sustainable re-use of these tailings in construction activities. It is concluded that no research to date had addressed the issue of using hardened mine tailings as construction materials for temporary access unpaved roads in cold climates.

Soils and Rocks

Filtered tailings is the disposal technology that is most likely to yield an unsaturated state of the tailings. Such state has important benefits. A dam to contain the mine wastes is no longer needed, the risk of polluting seepage is minimized, and liquefaction of tailings is prevented. Filtering also allows most of the water mixed with the tailings to be recovered and reused in the process. The resulting material can be handled with traditional soil moving equipment to form a stack, for instance. While the idea is simple, the multiple phenomena involved in the tailings unsaturated disposal make up a complex process. The present work is based on a case study, the Casposo Mine filtered tailings disposal facility, located in the central Andes of Argentina. Throughout ten years of operation, a series of field and laboratory studies have been carried out to characterize the phenomena that intervene in the disposal of filtered tailings. Two stages were studied in detail: air drying upon ...

During the construction of tailing dumps dams, modern materials can be used, which materials will improve the stability of dams and ensure high level of environmental protection. At tailing dumps where dams are built upstream or central it is possible the peripheral parts to be constructed by using geotubes. Thus improves the stability of the dam, prevents erosion and protects the air and surrounding area from fugitive emission of flotation sand with air currents. Also, to protect the slope from erosion and dispersion of flotation sand by air currents in dams, geosynthetic material Incomat can be used which is easy for setting up and filling and can be placed after each finished plate or parallel with the progress of the lamell during the construction of the dam. When tailing dumps dams are built in sludgy environment, highly strength geotextiles can be used, in order to improve the stability of the dam. Geotextiles can find application for covering the dry parts of the slopes and tops of the dams, and leave uncovered only parts for disposal of flotation sand. For retention of geotextiles anchors are used, if it is necessary they are moved depending on whether geotextile shrinks or stretches. With coverage of dams with geotextile, air from emission of flotation sand is protected.

Mining is an important industry, accounting for 6.9% of global GDP. However, global development promotes accelerated demand, resulting in the accumulation of hazardous waste in land, sea, and air environments. It reached 7 billion tonnes of mine tailings generated yearly worldwide, and 19 billion solid tailings will be accumulated by 2025. Adding to this, the legacy of environmental damage from abandoned mines is worrying; in Canada there are around 10,000 abandoned mines, 50,000 in Australia, 6,000 in South Africa, and 9,500 coal mines in China, reaching 15,000 by 2050. In this scenario, restoration techniques from mining tailing have become increasingly discussed among scholars due to their potential to offer benefits towards reducing tailings levels, thereby reducing environmental pressure for the correct management and adding value to previously discarded waste. This review paper explores available literature on the main techniques of mining tailing recycling and reuse and discu...