Tailings Dam Mining, Theoretical Considerations, and Circular Economy: A Review

Mining in tailings dams has emerged as a strategic alternative for mining companies for both economic and environmental reasons. Owing to technological limitations in recent decades, many of these dams have high metal contents, emphasizing the need to evaluate the quality of these residues, especially considering the technological advancements in current concentration plants. An economic viability analysis associated with reusing these materials is crucial. From an environmental point of view, improving mining techniques for dams by considering both safety and feasibility is an advantageous option in decommissioning processes and alignment in the circular economy. In this context, representing these tailings in terms of grade quality and granulometry, as well as the associated contaminants, is essential. Geostatistical estimation and simulation methods are valuable tools for modeling tailings bodies, but they require a reliable sampling campaign to ensure acceptably low errors. From an operational perspective, tailings recovery can be conducted via dry methods, such as mechanical excavation, or hydraulic methods, such as dredging or hydraulic blasting. Dredging is a commonly used method, and cutter suction dredgers, which require pumping to transport fragmented material, are the most commonly used tools. In this paper, some practical applications of geostatistical methods for resource quantification in tailings dams will be discussed. Additionally, the main mining methods for tailings recovery in dams will be presented. Emphasis will be given to the dredging method, along with the key analysis parameters for sizing dredgers, pumps, and pipelines.

Applications of online monitoring technology for tailings dam on digital mine

Considering its structural features, geometric shapes, service mode, environmental media, mechanical behavior, etc, the special nature and complexity of tailings dam were summarized. The technical approach to safety management for tailings dam was proposed, which is the on-line automated monitoring and early warning information. The results show that a strong theoretical basis can be provided for security monitoring and security management of tailings dam. Online automated monitoring system for tailings dam has full implementation of the information. It is applied widely in Lingnan gold mine, Xiadian gold mine and Hedong gold mine in Zhaoyuan, Shandong Province, and achieves good effect.

Cemented backfilling technology with unclassified tailings based on vertical sand silo

A new technology characterized by rapidly non-mechanical settlement of unclassified tailings was developed based on a large number of tests, and dynamic settlement and continual slurry preparation without hardening in vertical sand silo were eventually realized by the addition of an effective flocculating agent (NPA). The results show that the sedimentation velocity of interface between unclassified tailings and water after the addition of NPA increases by 10-20 times, the sedimentation mass fraction of unclassified tailings at the bottom of vertical sand silo is up to 64%, the solid particle content of waste water meets the national standard, and the side influences of NPA can be removed by the addition of fly ash. The industrial test result shows that the system, the addition manner and the equipments are rational, and the vertical sand silo is used efficiently. This developed system is simple with large throughput, and the processing cost is 2.2 yuan(RMB)/m3, only 10%-20% of that by mechanical settlement.

A simplified approach to assess seismic stability of tailings dams

In the zones of high seismic activity, tailings dam should be assessed for the stability against earthquake forces. In the present paper, a simplified method is proposed to compute the factor of safety of tailings dams. The strain-dependent dynamic properties are used to assess the stability of tailings dams under seismic conditions. The effect of foundation soil properties on the seismic stability of tailings dams is studied using the proposed method. For the given input parameters, the factor of safety for lowfrequency input motions is nearly 26% lower than that for high-frequency input excitations. The impedance ratio and the depth of foundation have significant effect on the seismic factor of safety of tailings dams. The results from the proposed method are well compared with the existing pseudo-static method of analysis. Tailings dams are vulnerable to damage for low-frequency input motions.

Fractal character of lenticles and its influence on sediment state in tailings dam

The distribution of tailings lenticles reflects the sediment state of tailing dam, and has a great influence on the stability of the dam. In order to disclose the distribution law of tailings lenticles in theory, 12 geological cross-sections, including 7 cross-sections of tailings dam constructed by the upstream method and 5 cross-sections by the middle line method, were analyzed with box dimension method. The results show that the distribution of tailings lenticles has better fractal character with box dimension from 1.290 7 to 1.513 6. The box dimension of the tailings dam constructed by upstream method is nearly 1.50 and that by middle line method is 1.30. Thereby the values of lenticles dimension have obvious relation to the method of constructing dam, and reflect the sediment state of tailings dam with the rule that smaller value means better state.

Monitoring technique for seepage line of tailings dam

An automatic monitoring technique of the seepage line, including the monitoring design, the automatic monitoring system and the backfill technique of the measuring probe of pore-water pressure, was used in a tailings dam, and a shallow refractive seismic method was investigated for obtaining the seepage line of those areas outside the monitoring zone. The results show that the automatic monitoring has the error within ±3% relative to piezometric tube method and improves monitoring efficiency greatly, and the shallow refractive seismic method has the error within ±10% but expands the area of monitoring. Both of them can be used for a daily measurement in monitoring the seepage line. The result of the automatic monitoring also shows that not only the design of the survey line and the backfill technique of the measuring probe of pore-water pressure are reasonable and economic but also the reliability and safety of the automatic monitoring system are better. Testing result by the shallow refractive seismic method in tailings reveals that the energy excited by hammering iron sheet-pole is strong enough and safe, and that the character of anti-jamming by the detectors with long tailcone is better.

Effective stress analysis method of seismic response for high tailings dam

Based on the analysis method for tailings dam in upstream raising method presently used in metallurgy and nonferrous metals tailings depository in the world, an effective stress analysis method of seismic response for high tailings dam was developed according to the results of engineering geological exploration, static and dynamic test and stability analysis on Baizhishan tailing dam 113.5 m high. The law of generation, diffusion and dissipation of seismic pore water pressure during and after earthquake was investigated, and the results of tailings dam’s acceleration, seismic dynamic stress and pore water pressure were obtained. The results show that the seismic stability and liquefaction resistance of high tailings dam are strengthened remarkably, and the scope and depth of liquefaction area at the top of dam are reduced greatly. The interior stress is compressive stress, the stress level of every element is less than 1.0 and the safety coefficient of every element is greater than 1.0. The safety coefficient against liquefaction of every element of tailing dam is greater than 1.5 according to the effective stress analysis of seismic response by finite element method. The calculated results prove that liquefaction is the main reason of seismic failure of high tailing dams, and the effect of seismic inertia forces on high tailing dams’ stability during earthquake is secondary reason.

A new technique of combining accretion by cyclone separator and scattertube for tailings dams

A new technique of combining accretion by cyclone separator and scattertube for tailings dams was developed according to laboratory experiment, model experiment and spot experiment technology. Three tailings dams were successfully constructed by the new technique. The results of engineering geological exploration, static and dynamic test and stability analysis on Baizhishan tailings dams prove that the new technique improves structure and stability of the dams and working conditions compared with the traditional technique. The thin layers of fine-grained soils are greatly reduced, fine tailings sand is solid to make the dam stable and seepage conditions are well improved; the immersing line of the dam descends. In addition, the stability and liquefaction resistance of tailings dams are strengthened remarkably. The interior stress is compressive stress, stress level of every element is less than 1.0 and safety coefficient of every element is greater than 1.0. The safety coefficient against liquefaction of every element of tailings dams is greater than 1.5 according to the analysis of seismic response by finite element method.

Using Piezocone Tests for Analysis of Phreatic Water Conditions and Prediction of Soil Behavior in Tailing Dams

In this work the possibility of identifying two important aspects in the process of adopting soil parameters for calculating stability analysis models in tailing dams is discussed. The use of commercial computer programs for stability calculations allows obtaining numerically exact results. Its representativeness, however, will be linked to the correct definition of the phreatic regime and to the prediction of volumetric soil behavior during shearing (contractile vs. dilating materials). The theoretical principles for the selection of soils parameters for different failure models are briefly presented. Also, how the incorrect assumptions regarding material behavior can significantly affect the estimation of tailing dams’ stability. The results of CPTu tests for the diagnosis of the phreatic and mechanical condition of the materials are discussed and two examples are presented to remark on the care that should be taken to avoid incorrect soils parameters adoption.

基于P2PSand模型的水库土石坝坝基地震液化影响分析

为了解决水库土石坝坝基地震液化导致严重坝体变形和边坡失稳等灾害,从而对水库土石坝长效安全运行造成严重威胁的问题,以某水库土石坝为例,利用有限差分软件FLAC3D 7.0及其内置P2PSand模型(practical two-surface plastic sand model),对存在地震液化地基的水库土石坝进行地震动力响应分析。结果表明:地震强度与相对密实度对水库土石坝坝基地震液化趋势影响较大,超孔压比随着地震过程的进行而逐渐增大,增大幅度约为10.46%;随着坝基地震液化程度的提高,坝体变形更明显,并且坝基边坡稳定性劣化。

Modeling of Wind Erosion of the Aitik Tailings Dam Using SWEEP Model

Waste impoundments are usually not protected by any growing crops, soil roughness, or wind barriers, and dust due to wind erosion of the surface waste material can be a major environmental problem. The tailings dam in Aitik is highly susceptible to wind erosion when it is dry and windy. Strong dust storms may occur during dry seasons. These events are short-lived but may transport a huge amount of particulate matter and adversely impact air quality in downwind areas. This study estimated material loss from the Aitik tailings dam using SWEEP model. The simulated total material loss, saltation and creep loss, suspension loss and PM10 loss were 4.4941 kg/m2, 0.042 kg/m2, 4.4559 kg/m2, 0.264057 kg/m2 respectively. To control the dust generation, wind breaks could be suggested to be installed at 800 m downwind the west side edge of the tailings dam to reduce the saltation and creep and it would in turn reduce suspended emission. The measured total suspended material for five days by exposure profiling method was 0.475 kg/m2, which had a big difference with a simulate value of 4.4559 kg/m2. Many reasons contributed to the disagreement of simulated value and measured value in this study. In order to use the model for mining industry, more tests are needed to validate the modeling result, and calibration methods could be useful in adjusting the internal coefficients and empirical equations.

Processing of tailings in Canadian oil sands industry

Vast amounts of tailings are produced daily in bitumen extraction from the Athabasca oil sands. The coarse sand from the tailings stream is used to build dykes around the containment basin. The run off slurry arrives at the water’s edge in the tailings pond at a solids concentration of about 3%～8% by mass. Settling of the solids takes place "relatively fast", over several days, creating a "free water zone" that contains little solids. When the fine mineral solids concentration has reached about 15% by mass, the suspension develops non Newtonian properties. After 2～3 years, the suspension concentration reaches a value of about 30% by mass at which the settling rate becomes extremely slow. Methods to handle the already created tailings ponds and new approaches to eliminate the creation of new ones will be discussed both from the industrial and fundamental prospective.

Uptake of Organic Contaminants by Plants from Oil Sands Fine Tailings

The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate the performance of different plant species growing in different kinds of oil sands fine tailings,and to estimate the uptake of organic contaminants by plants from the oil sands fine tailings.In general,total hydrocarbon in the plant could be ranked(beginning with the highest)as:unweathered plant 4 tailings (UWT),Freeze Thawtailings(FT),weathered plant 4 tailings(WT),and consolidated tailings(CT) for the willow,poplar and cattails.For grass,CT amended with tailings sand and muskeg had the highest hydrocarbon level in the field treatment,however,other three kinds of tailings(FT,WT and UWT) had lower but similar to each other hydrocarbon levels.

The Stava Valley Tailings Dams Disaster:A Reference Point for the Prevention of Severe Mine Incidents

On July 19,1985,at Stava near Tesero(Italian Alps),two reservoirs collapsed,causing the death of 268 people and the destruction of many buildings.The two adjacent basins were constructed for the decantation and storage of fine-grained waste material,which was pumped from a nearby fluorite mine.The consequence of the failure was a vast flowslide that found its way downstream along the Stava valley destroying many houses in the village of Stava,eventually reaching Tesero,where more property was wrecked or severely damaged.The Stava valley disaster was one of the most tragic of its kind.This paper aims to give a contribution on the technical aspects related to the causes of this catastrophic event.It also describes alternative technical solutions for the proper management of mining waste disposal and environmental protection proposed by the Stava 1985 Foundation for disseminating knowledge and awareness on how to make these geotechnical structures safer and more profitable and avoid other similar disasters that still keep occurring every year around the world.

Physico-chemical Characteristics of a Gold Mining Tailings Dam Wastewater

The study was conducted on the status of the quality of wastewater from the tailings dam of Central Africa Gold Limited in Bibiani, Ghana, to ascertain the level of contamination of the wastewater. The tailings dam stores process effluent from the gold extraction plant. Wastewater samples taken from the tailings dam were analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics. Arsenic, iron and cyanide were identified as the major pollutants in the tailings dam wastewater with average concentrations of 4.5, 25.2 and 11.1 mg.L1, respectively. Arsenic, iron and free CN （cyanide） concentrations in the process effluent exceeded the Ghana EPA discharge limits of 0.2, 2 and 0.2 mg.Ll, respectively. High conductivity, total dissolved solids, sulphate and ammonium were found in the wastewater studied. The tailings dam serves as a natural reservoir that removes most of the total suspended solids and the turbidity, resulting in the improvement in the aesthetic appeal of the wastewater. Nonetheless, arsenic, iron and cyanide concentrations were still high and hence the wastewater cannot be discharged into the environment without prior treatment.

Modeling Effect of Bitumen Extraction Processes on Oil Sands Tailings Ponds

In the oil sands industry, high temperature with the addition of a caustic dispersing agent has formed the basis of the Clark hot water extraction process used successfully on a commercial scale to recover bitumen from surface mined oil sands ore since 1967. Processes different from the established Clark process （high temperature and caustic） have been developed to work at a range of temperatures with or without the use of sodium hydroxide. Large scale bitumen extraction pilot tests were performed with two different extraction processes and large strain consolidation tests were performed on the resulting different railings. These consolidation tests determined the compressibility and hydraulic conductivity relationships with void ratio which are engineering properties that influence the long-term disposal of the fine tailings. They were used in large strain consolidation numerical analyses of storage ponds to predict water release rates and changes to surface elevations that impact storage volumes and elevation of reclamation surfaces.

Recovery of coal particles from a tailing dam for environmental protection and economical beneficiations

Considerable amounts of coal particles are accumulated in the tailing dams of washing plants which can make serious environmental problems. Recovery of these particles from tailings has economically and environmentally several advantages. Maintaining natural resources and reducing discharges to the dams are the most important ones. This study was examined the possibility to recover coal particles from a tailing dam with 56.29% ash content by using series of processing techniques. For this purpose, gravity separation （jig, shaking table and spiral） and flotation tests were conducted to upgrade products. Based the optimum value of these processing methods, a flowsheet was designed to increase the rate of recovery for a wide range of coal particles. Results indicated that the designed circuit can recover over 90% of value coal particles and reduce ash content of product to less than 14%. These results can potentially be used for designing an industrial operation as a recycling plant and an appropriate instance for other areas to reduce the environmental issues of coal tailing dams.

A column study of the hydro-mechanical behavior of mature fine tailings under atmospheric drying

In this paper, the hydro-mechanical behavior and physical properties of mature fine tailings(MFT) under atmospheric drying are investigated through a column study. In the study, evaporation takes place in the development of suction in the upper parts of the column and increasing suction leads to higher strength in the tailings. After 5 days, the suction in the first lift is around 17 k Pa in the upper part of the column.When a second lift is added, the first lift initially loses strength but over a 30 days' period, the strength is recovered to its prior value and suction in the second lift reaches 500 k Pa. The vane shear strength values show a substantial increase in the strength of the MFT after 30 days under atmospheric drying and drainage. The 90% strength found in the column exceeds the threshold(5 k Pa). The hydraulic-mechanical properties of the deposited tailings are closely coupled due to several mechanisms, such as evaporation,drainage, self-consolidation, suction and crack development. The findings of this study will provide a better understanding of the placement behavior of multiple lifts of MFT and thus contribute to reclamation design standards and reduce the use of dedicated disposal areas.

Identification and Selection of Regional Plants withPotential for Phytoremediation in Abandoned Open PitTailing Dams

The degree of adaptability and phytoremediation potential of the plant species, Zacate Garrapata, Zacate Banderita, Chivatillo, Oregano, Chamizo and Sotol were evaluated on different substrates (S) composed of tailing (JM) and agricultural land (TA) in different proportions in mass: S1 = 100% TA, S2 = 100% JM, S3 = 50% TA and 50 % JM, S4 = 25% JM and 75% TA, S5 = 75% JM and 25% TA. With the combination of species and substrates, 30 treatments were generated. The heavy metals evaluated were Pb, As, Cu. Fe, Cr and Zn, in root, leaf and stem. The results showed significant statistical differences (p < 0.05), with the Sotol and Zacate Garrapata species being the ones with the highest degree of adaptability and accumulation of heavy metals in interaction with S3. These two species can be used in the remediation of open pit tailing dam.

尾矿的特性、灾害及其资源潜力

尾矿是矿石磨细选别后残余的固体废弃物,尾矿物理化学特性及尾矿库的常规地表堆存共同导致尾矿库存在较大的安全与环境风险。低品位矿体高强度开采趋势下,我国尾矿年排放量维持在10亿t以上的高位,累计堆存规模超200亿t,细粒尾矿堆存方式、潜在灾害防治及综合利用面临新挑战,采选新技术装备及政策利好因素推动尾矿资源潜力亟待释放。因此,以尾矿物理化学特性、排放堆存方法、溃坝灾害、尾矿资源潜力为主线,综述了尾矿物理化学特性、尾矿堆存形式、尾矿溃坝灾害防治等方面的研究进展,系统梳理了尾矿空区充填、尾矿制备材料、尾矿二次利用、超积累植物提取金属元素、尾矿固碳等资源综合利用方法,可为研究者及工业界系统全面地重新审视尾矿废弃物特性、尾矿库灾害防治、矿产可持续开发利用提供启示。