How can mining engineers make tailings management more sustainable?

From my experience, the greatest issue for tailings is a significant gap in skilled professionals. Although there are more professional development courses being built to help train people, the shortage is massive. One of the ways to help address this is to leverage top industry experts to develop a series of high-quality online courses. These courses should be affordable and accessible to any training department, university, or individual - any place in the world. This should be combined with a global certification program for individual skills so anyone who achieves those skills (whether by taking a course or experience) can demonstrate they are qualified. At the same time, companies can trust that the individual is qualified.

We need to approach this differently at concept/feasibility level. 1. Design a process that maximise recovery of the target mineral. 2. Study the tailings content and explore options of beneficiation for secondary and tertiary markets.

I agree. This can significantly reduce the footprint of tailings dams, generate additional revenue and create job opportunities, which are positive ESG spinoffs. In addition alternative disposal methods to traditional slimes dams should be considered e.g. tailings impoundments with engineered rock perimeter walls and strategic drainage systems. Technology can be used to monitor dam wall stability, phreatic levels, etc. e.g. installing instruments such as piezometers, inclinometers, weir monitors, etc. linked to SCADA.

In my opinion tailing volume reduction is the most efficient way in handling tailing. It reduces waste,volume and storage space required. Even if we can't reduce the volume we shall try to repurpose the use of the tailings produced

Mine ALL! All minerals have several metals in it! By mining ALL, the tailing volume is reduced and reduces also the need for new mining!

Dry staking of tailings and recycling of water for re-use by host communities is an excellent way of offering shared value and making tailings operations sustainable.

Most promising seems to apply dry stacking of tailings, which in particular means a dewatering and recycling of water as part or immediately after processing.

- Understand the water balance at site and regional levels, considering seasonal and climate variations. - Include cost and carbon footprint analysis. - Explore methods like aquifer recharge instead of large dams to prevent water loss. - Implement water treatment plants with renewable energy to remove contamination. - Advise appropriate processing system - Use appropriate tailings thickening system - Achieve true sustainability by integrating these factors

At the PEA and FS stage, it is beneficial for the mining engineer to understand tailings deposition options, waste dump options, and surface drainages and integrate this into pit optimization and/or surface infrastructure design. Try to minimize foot-print early in the process and plan for testing and ground truthing during the pre and feasibility study stages. For instance, it might be cheaper to locate the tailings ponds and waste dumps close to the mine, but it may be better to locate these in a different drainage, slightly farther away, but which does not impact a community or the environment. Consider this stuff early in the design.

It is essential that the mining community explore more sustainable way of alternative use of TSF material. This will help reduce the negative footprint mining present. If proper planning is done during the feasibility phase of a mine project, alternative use of tailings material can be agreed on among stakeholders and implementated during the LoM and post LoM. Current option of using Tailings as backfill material for underground mines is laudable and should be improve. Using tailings to reclaim open pits after LoM is also feasible. This can help reduce open void left behind by mining project.

Tailing management is a big challenge. Recycling them or reproducing other materials out of them is one of the most promising choice in terms of sustainability. Such approach requires a good knowledge and collaboration with various science and engineering disciplines.

Le recyclage des déchets miniers participe à l'économie circulaire. Comme le dit lavoisier : rien ne se perd rien ne se crée tout se transforme. La R&D est une voie pour accompagner les entreprises minières à donner une seconde vie à leur déchets.

Using old mining waste as a secondary resource where they are produced will be much more promising for the future, especially in terms of energy transition. This opportunity can come from the tailings, also industrial stock, red mud or fertilizer if we focus on the recovery systems and this will help to manage mineral demands.

- Collaborate with interested industries. - Consider transport costs and create high-value materials to offset them. - Understand local, regional, and international markets for construction products and metals

Mining engineers can enhance tailings management sustainability by implementing safer disposal methods like dry stacking, and exploring ways to repurpose or recycle tailings for other applications thus reducing environmental impact.

Using remote sensing for long-term monitoring of tailings enables both mining companies and government to conduct comprehensive and continuous surveillance of TSFs. Satellite imagery, coupled with geospatial AI, allows for the detection of subtle changes over time, offering crucial insights into the stability and environmental impact of tailings dams. This technology not only enhances safety by identifying potential risks before they escalate, but also supports environmental compliance and stakeholder engagement by providing transparent and up-to-date information on tailings management practices.

- Embrace advanced monitoring tech. - Ensure a skilled local team. - Factor in climate and other changes. - Tailor monitoring to dam failure consequences

Le rendement est une mesure de la performance de la production dans les mines. Ainsi, la réduction des résidus miniers contribue à l'optimisation du processus de transformation du minerais.

Tailings professionals need to engage and communicate with all stakeholders. We should be capable of explaining the risks to any audience with the aim of reducing them.

- Include other industries and universities. - Tap into their solutions and tailings reuse interest. - Involve them in preliminary economic assessments. - Foster local opportunities and work towards tailings dam reduction for sustainable management.

This can be one of the most challenging steps to carry out as it involves human opinions on the matter. Sometimes it takes a lot to convince the people who are affected. Keeping them informed and heard is rather important and their opinions should be taken into account in strategy development. It's not only the internal stakeholders who help build the business but external ones as well.

Proper planning of TSF should start from the feasibility phase of a mine project. Holistic stakeholder consultations should be done to understand the potential risk TSF will pose to human life, environment and society. Mitigation of identified risk should be comprehensive inputs from all stakeholders) and include lessons learnt from failed TSFs. TSF management plan and implementation procedures should be adopted and audited annually to ensure gaps are identified and rectified. Audit report should be made public to stakeholders to ensure oversight responsibility. Continuous engagement with stakeholders should be sustained. Regulatory bodies should ensure strict compliance by mining companies to standards outlined in specific regulations.

L'approche inclusive est importante car elle permet de lever les zones d'ombres entre l'entreprise et ses parties prenantes. En effet, dans la problématique de la gestion des déchets, il y a une méfiance liée à un manque de transparence des miniers. Ainsi en impliquant les parties prenantes qui pourront inspecter les résultats, l'adaptation de la méthode de gestion pourra se faire de fa?on concertée.

Tres cosas. 1.- Gobernanza fuerte y clara, la gente tiene que saber que se tiene que hacer en temas de relaves en la compa?ía y quien es responsable de rendir cuentas. 2.- Empoderamiento, el RTFE debe existir y debe tener las competencias, autoridad y recursos necesarios en función al grado de clasificación de consecuencia de falla del depósito. 3.- Capacidad de toma de desiciones en términos de relaves al mismo nivel que el metal fino. Tanto mina como planta deben estar al mismo nivel del tomador de desiciones que los relaves. Con estos tres puntos, los mineros pueden desarrollar sus actividades sin tener mayor preocupación que ocurra una falla catastrófica en su depósito.

Mining engineers can improve the sustainability of tailings management by: Tailings Management: Using a systematic, risk-based approach to tailings management. Tailings Containment, Disposal, and Rehabilitation: Examples of tailings containment, disposal, and rehabilitation. Gaining expertise and expanding knowledge in geotechnical, geochemical, governance, closure, and socioeconomic elements of tailings management. Tailings Storage Facilities (TSF) design, construction, operation, and monitoring: from idea to closure. Applying best practices in governance and engineering in the planning, design, construction, operation, and closure of tailings facilities. These techniques encourage sustainable mining while minimising harm.

create Tailing retreatment plant to secure some marginal or low grade ore inline with resource conservation and optimization profit

Se debe reducir el uso de agua en el manejo de relaves. De esta forma se limitarán los riesgos de estabilidad, se evitará la contaminación del recurso hídrico al no haber plumas de contaminación y se facilitará el cierre de este tipo de residuos

The mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the tailings material also impact the choices for long term storage of tailings facilities.