Water Cover Technology for Reactive Tailings Manag

Authors: Laxmi Kant Kachhwal Ernest K Yanful Lisa Lanteigne

Publish Date: 2010/04/30

Volume: 214, Issue: 1-4, Pages: 357-382

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Abstract

Environmentally safe disposal of sulfiderich reactive mine tailings is one of the major challenges facing the mining industry in Canada Scandinavia USA and many other parts of the world Placing tailings under a water cover is one of the effective methods to reduce the influx of oxygen to the tailings Windinduced turbulence and subsequent resuspension of the tailings however are major concerns with this approach In this paper a study of windinduced resuspension at the Shebandowan tailings storage facility northwestern Ontario Canada is discussed The study compares computer modeling of required water cover depths and resuspended tailings concentrations to observed field data The calculated minimum water cover depths required to eliminate resuspension were found to be higher than the existing implemented water cover depths in each cell The predicted resuspended tailings concentrations for the west cell were 6–22 mg/l with an average value of 15 mg/l and for the east cell 1–10 mg/l with an average of 60 mg/l In comparison optical backscatter sensors deployed in situ recorded average resuspended tailings concentration up to 25 mg/l indicating that the model results were similar to the fieldmeasured values Results from sediment trap measurements did not show any correlation between the amount of resuspended tailings and water cover depth Sediment traps collect not only sediments eroded and suspended at the location of deployment but also those that have been transported from elsewhere and redeposited at the trap location The amount of resuspension occurring at Shebandowan does not raise a major concern because discharge from the tailings area is collected and managed before it reports to the final effluent

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