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By L. A. Melis, J. W. Rowson

"Cluff Mining has successfully operated a gold recovery plant at its Cluff Lake operation in northern Saskatchewan to recover gold f rom Phase 1 uranium leach tailings. The operating circuit consists of tailings repulping, grinding, cyanidation, carbon-inpulp, gold recov ery, and cyanide destruction by acidification, volatilization and re-neutralization. The process is described and operating data and metallurgical results from the operation are provided.INTRODUCTIONCluff Mining, a Saskatchewan partnership, is owned 20 per cent by Cameco and 80 per cent by Amok Ltd. /Ltée. (Amok), manager and operator of the partnership.The current operation includes the Phase II uranium mining and milling facilities, located at Cluff Lake, 700 km north of Saskatoon, capable of processing 300 000 tonnes o f ore to produce about 4 000 000 lb UPs (1500 tonnes of uranium) per year.The Phase I operation was initially established to process the very high grade ""0"" uranium orebody from 1980 to 1983. The leach tailings from the Phase I mill operation were found to contain elevated level s of gold . These high gold values were partially due to the gravity pre-concentration step included in the uranium recovery circuit, and to the naturally high levels of gold associated with the uranium mineralization in the""0"" orebody .During the Phase I operation some 6475 tonnes of leach tails were produced and stored in a total o f 2916 large concrete containers (vaults). This method of storage was, at the time, deemed to be the preferred method of temporary storage for the tailings.This temporary storage of high-grade gold tailings facilitated the reclamation and reprocessing of the leach tail s for gold recovery. The primary reason for reprocessing the Phase 1 leach tails was to provide for long-term permanent disposal of the material as an admixture with Phase II tailings in the Cluff Lake tailings disposal area. Although there was limited tonnage, the high gold content in the material made the in stallation of a gold recovery circuit economically justifiable."

Jan 1, 1989

This paper summarizes the process development behind the design of three different types of paste fill plants at operating Canadian hard rock mines. Each application has a unique paste backfill mix and process which utilizes the materials economically available to the mine site. The different plants produce paste fill composed of base metal tailings, a blend of recovered disposal pond tailings fines and alluvial sand, gold ore tailings, and a blend of gold ore tailings and alluvial sand. This work has led to the joint development by Inco and GL&V Ontario of the compaction storage mechanism for the de-watering of mill tailings to a paste consistency.

Jan 1, 1994

By M. John Brodie

This report reviews the regulatory environment as it pertains to tailings management and disposal from mining operations, excluding coal and placer gold operations, in the state of Alaska. It is based on the EPA's staff position on an effective program to regulate mining wastes as presented in the May, 1990 Strawman II document, The unique conditions which occur in parts of the state, including a fragile environment, high seismicity and permafrost, are identified. The special waste management practices which are necessitated by these conditions are delineated. The report provides a detailed outline of the current technologies that are suitable for designing, constructing, operating and closing a railings disposal facility to meet environmental protection objectives. Cost implications to the mining industry of potential regulatory actions, such as the degree of groundwater protection are examined.

Jan 1, 1992

Discussion of the paper of Frederick Laist, presented at the Butte meeting, August, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 79, July, 1913, pp. 1147 to 1162. J. C. DICK, Salt Lake City, Utah :-I would like to ask Mr. Laist why a 10 per cent. salt solution was used. MR. LAIST :-The reason for using salt in the solution is to get .the sulphur. The solution of dilute sulphuric acid has no solvent action on the sulphur even after roasting, and the addition of the salt is made primarily to dissolve the sulphur chlorides. MR. DICK:-I would like to ask also if you made any experiments as to grinding fine your calcines, rather than leaving the coarse material. MR. LAIST :-We have not made any experiments along those lines except in the laboratory, but the objections which we have to grinding are that the difficulties of roasting are very much greater when roasting finely ground material than when roasting coarse material, and the difficulties of leaching are somewhat increased; the percolating system is simpler and easier to manipulate, particularly when acid solutions are used, so that we prefer from our experience not to grind. STUART CROASDALE,* Denver, Colo. (communication to -the Secretary +) :-In order to meet the conditions involved in his ore-treatment problem, Mr. Laist has developed a very interesting and apparently successful metallurgical hybrid which he calls the oxychloridizing roast. The lower floors of the MacDougall furnaces are made to accomplish what used to be done on the " cooling floor" in the old days of salt roasting and " hypo " or brine leaching of silver ores.

Jan 11, 1913

By X. Q. Cui

The surficial collapse pits of the mining areas are continuously spreading in Beiminghe iron mine of Hebei Province as a result of the exploitation, which has done a lot of damage to the circumjacent ecological environment of the mine. It is a new path to handle the mine tailings at the present time that the thickened tailings are used to backfill the collapse pits, in which way the problems of the surficial collapse and the nowhere discharge of the tailings are both solved, and the rational utilization of the mine tailings and the clean production of the mine enterprise are realized. The?200 mesh content of the tailings of Beiminghe iron mine is 76.87%, and?325 mesh content is 63.50%. Semi-industrial dehydration experiments to the tailings have been done using the hydro-cyclone classified thickening process. The results show that when FX125 hydrocyclone is adopted, the concentration of underflow can achieve 73.31%, and the yield ratio is 61.78%; when FX150 hydrocyclone is adopted, the concentration of underflow is 70.57%, and the yield ratio is 54.31%, which indicate that the minor diameter hydrocyclone is propitious to improve the yield ratio of the underflow. The semi-industrial dehydration system of hydrocyclone classified thickening process is com-posed of FX125 hydrocyclone, D3600 high-efficient thickener and D2000 thickening bucket. The capacity to tailings disposal can achieve 3.07t/h and the tailings can be thickened from 28.86% to 62.45%. Compared with the traditional thickening-filtrating process and the total tailings directly filtrating process, the hydrocyclone classified thickening process has the merits of simple flow and high thickening efficiency, so it is easy to be realized in the mine.

Jan 1, 2014

By J. W. Thompson

OIL AND GAS AS MINERALS. Oil and gas within the ground are minerals and the fact that they have attributes not common to other minerals because of their fugitive nature or vagrant habit, and the disposition to percolate, and the possibility of their escape from beneath one part of the surface to another, does not remove them from the class of minerals. Texas Co. v. Daugherty (Texas), 176 Southwestern, 717, p. 719, May, 1915. OWNERSHIP OF TAILINGS-ABANDONMENT. A corporation engaged in milling- and the reduction of ores deposited the tailings therefrom upon a portion of its own land lying in a gulch through which water flows at times in great volumes and with great force' and notwithstanding all reasonable efforts by dams and otherwise to retain its tailings, the tailings eventually were forced upon the lands of an adjoining owner; these tailings were valuable and their retreatment, intended by the mill owner, profitable; and the fact that the tailings were so washed down upon the lands of the adjoining owner and permitted to accumulate and remain for some considerable time is not sufficient to show an abandonment on the part of the owner of the tailings, where it is clear that the owner had no intention of so doing, but on the contrary, always intended to conserve and retreat the tailings.

Jan 1, 1916

By J. G. Goodey, G. J. van der Linde

This paper describes pilot-plant tests on the recovery of apatite from a hitherto untapped material. This materialhydro- separator overflow-is very fine (80 per cent smaller than 45 µm and 32 per cent smaller than 10 µm). . The pilot-plant tests proved that the recovery of apatite from this material is economically and technically viable. This was confirmed by plant trials, which, in the early stages, produced concentrate assaying 36,6 per cent P2O5 at a recovery of 65,5 per cent.

Jan 1, 1983

By Mark W. Cadwallader

Heap leach mining requires liners in order to contain leaching solutions for both economic and environmental incentives. The use of HDPE geomembrane liners for heap leaching is discussed in this paper. Comparison is made to clay liners, with inclusion of economic considerations. Several heap leach projects incorporating geomembranes are discussed.

Jan 1, 1987

By T. Stuczynski

In the past ten years about 3000 wastewater treatment plants have been built in Poland. The result of this development has been a massive increase in overall sludge production. According to data supplied by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, 400,000 dry tons of sludge are generated every year in Poland (Koblak-Kalinska 1996). Still it is difficult to estimate the amount of sludge, which is used in agriculture or for reclamation purposes. However, it can be assumed that this comes to no more than 10 percent of all sludge produced in Poland on a yearly basis. Thus it became obvious that an urgent solution to this problem was needed. Local authorities in Silesia realized in the early 90?s that a demonstration was necessary to encourage the proper utilization of sludge. This was the basis for establishing the Biosolids Subpart of the Silesia Project, which addressed the use of biosolids in the reclamation of mining and smelting dumps (Stuczynski et al. 1996). Metal waste sites themselves are known to contain more than 87 million tons of waste (Pistelok et al. 1995). Each year this amount increases by approximately 400,000 tons. We realized that a simple solution for stabilizing these sites would be to cover them with vegetation in order to reduce leaching of toxic elements, as well as to keep metallic fugitive dust from entering the environment. The reclamation of smelter waste sites, which was carried out within the framework of the Silesia Project was a joint effort of local government, industry and international research institutions/agencies, including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Center for Research and Control of the Environment (OBIKS), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and IUNG. One of the goals was to evaluate the possibility of adapting the rules of sludge management currently used in the United States to conditions commonly found here in industrial regions of Poland. However, the main objective of the Silesia Project was the development of guidelines concerning all aspects of sludge use for the reclamation of degraded lands and waste sites. Biological aspects related to reclamation of metal waste with the use of biosolids will be discussed in this paper.

Jan 1, 2002

Stope filling practice on the Great Boulder Mine was described in -a paper published in Aus.I.M.M., Proceedings No. 137, in 1945. When the paper was presented the process had emerged from the experimental stage, most of the initial operating difficulties had been overcome, and it had been established that this method of filling was suitable for the working of ore bodies in the Kalgoorlie field: Since 1945, it has fulfilled its early promise, -and during 1947, the tonnage of fill placed was sufficient to cover current operating requirements as called for by the mine ore breaking programme. The object of this paper is to outline current operations. In so doing it will refer' to some ground covered by the previous paper, but will omit details of the initial experimental work. It will include, however, a description of further experimental work on the use of hydraulic filling for worked-out shrinkage stopes, arid will provide more accurate data on costs than were available previously.ESTIMATE OF TONNAGE OF FILL REQUIRED.Early in 1946, the mine ore reserves were analysed in order to estimate the relative tonnages to be mined per four-weekly period by shrinkage stope methods -and by cut and fill stope methods respectively. This analysis was extended beyond the blocks already prepared for stoping, and inclqded the majority of the major ore blocks in the mine ore reserves. It gave the following results:-For a mill tonnage of 28,000 tons per period, 6,933 tons were required from cut and fill stopes, and a possible future maximum programme of 35,000 tons per period would require...

Jan 1, 1948

By C. H. Benedict, H. C. Kenny

A 2000-ton ammonia leaching plant has been operated by the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co., at Lake Linden, Mich., continuousl~ since February, 1917, except from April, 1921, to April, 1922, during the period of depression following the European war. A description of this plant has been published elsewhere.1 The present article describes the operation of the plant since 1917, together with the changes in the process that have been found to be advisable. In spite of the fact that this plant and that of the Kennecott Copper Co. are the only ones operating on a large scale, much experimental work is being done on ammonia leaching, as applied to oxidized ores, and it is to aid these and other investigators that this detailed account is given. For the benefit of those unfamiliar with the original article, the following short abstract is given, as an introduction to a more detailed account of the process and the reasons for present practice. Rêsumê of Previous Article Leaching on a commercial scale began in July, 1916, and by Februsry, 1917, the plant of 2000 tons capacity was in commission. The ore treated is a conglomerate containing native copper and no sulfides or oxidized copper minerals. Before leaching, the ore is crushed by steam stamps and Hardinge pebble mills to pass a 28-mesh screen. Free copper is removed, by gravity concentration, on Woodbury jigs and Wilfley tables, and colloidal slime for oil flotation is removed by quadruplex Dorr classifiers. The leaching sand remaining contains about 2 per cent. + 28-mesh material and 15 per cent. — 200-mesh and carries from 8 to 14 lb. of copper per ton, depending on the grade of ore worked. The solvent employed in leaching is a water solution of ammonium carbonate,

Jan 1, 1924

By Robert D. Perry

This report describes methods of reclaiming abandoned or inactive tailings ponds and dams. The investigated sites were selected tailings deposits adjacent to metal mines in the southwestern United States and the Pacific Northwest. The basic data developed for each site consisted of the following: a review of existing literature: a site visit that included sampling of the tailings and surrounding materials; laboratory and engineering studies; and development of reclamation plans. Laboratory tests determined the gold and silver content of each tailings deposit and the chemistry of the tailings and surrounding materials. Reclamation plans that include approximate costs were developed for five tailings deposit sites. These ranged in size from 52,000 to 103,000,000 tons. Our conclusions on the remining potential of each site are based on the tailings assay and other technical data. This study concludes that remining as a reclamation tool is feasible at certain sites. Included in this report is a remining program as part of the overall reclamation plan for two sites. Our preliminary results indicate that remining as a reclamation tool is feasible for only one of them.

Jan 1, 1981

By Guanghua Ai, Xiong Huang, Huashan Yan, Ting Li, Tingsheng Qiu

"Cyanide tailings of gold and silver concentrates contain considerable quantities of copper-lead-zinc sulfide minerals that can be recovered. However, the strong inhibition effect of cyanide often makes it difficult to recover these sulfide minerals effectively. In this research, a sample of cyanide tailings was investigated based on the principles of process mineralogy; activating flotation tests were carried out for the target minerals in the tailings, and the activation mechanism of the activator and its influence on the target minerals were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Mixed flotation of copper and zinc was carried out using QJ-01, a combined agent containing sulfite, as the activator of copper and zinc minerals, and ammonium dibutyl dithiophosphate (ADD) and butyl xanthate (BX) as the combined collector. Copper concentrate was obtained from the mixed concentrate by using a combined inhibitor of sodium sulfide and zinc sulfate to inhibit the zinc mineral. Zinc concentrate was extracted from the copper tailings by using copper sulfate as the activator and BX as the collector. The flotation test yielded copper concentrate with a grade of 22.56% and recovery of 76.96%, and zinc concentrate with a grade of 42.56% and recovery of 82.29%, which shows that comprehensive recovery of the sulfide minerals – copper and zinc –from the cyanide tailings was realized. The FTIR analysis showed that CN- was chemisorbed on the surface of chalcopyrite and sphalerite following cyanide treatment, while the combined activator QJ-01 containing sulfite reduced CN- into SCN- and weakened the complexing ability of CN- with metal ions on the mineral surface, thus achieving a good activation effect on chalcopyrite and sphalerite. The results of this study can provide practical guidance in increasing the resource utilization ratio of cyanide tailings in gold mines, and thus contribute to alleviating environmental problems caused by stockpiling cyanide tailings. INTRODUCTION Cyanidation, the most widely used technology for extraction of gold, has several advantages such as high recovery, process maturity, low cost, etc. According to available data, the annual discharge of cyanide tailings from China's gold mines exceeds 20 million tons (Li et al., 2011). Lower grades of exploitable gold ore entail increased discharge of cyanide tailings. Huge quantities of cyanide tailings are regarded as waste and stored, resulting in significant wastage of land resources. Moreover, residual beneficiation reagents, cyanide ions, and heavy metal ions in cyanide tailings cause severe pollution of water and land (Laitos et al., 2013; Donato et al., 2007; Mudder and Botz, 2004). In addition, cyanide tailings often contain valuable elements such as gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, sulfur, and iron, which, if not recycled, would result in considerable wastage of resources. Hence, it is imperative to study the reduction and safety of cyanide tailings, and the mineral resources present in them."

Jan 1, 2018

By T Baumgartl, R Akesseh, M Edraki, B Usher, M Shaygan

With the continuing demand for industrialisation and urbanisation, the rate of mining and processing lower grade ores will also increase, producing large quantities of waste. As extreme weather events associated with global climatic changes are to be expected, the risk from mine tailings management will also increase (Edraki et al., 2014). In sulfide rich tailings, weathering within the critical zone controls the fate and distribution of the contaminants such as copper, zinc, and lead in the environment (Hayes et al., 2014). Tailings evolve geochemically and physically with time as they age under the influence of complex interacting factors. Understanding of the complex interactions between these controlling factors is important for predicting and mitigating the potential risks associated with sulfide tailings such as generation of acid mine drainage (Lindsay et al., 2015). Wetting and drying initiates weathering processes, influencing the hydrological, geochemical and geomechanical properties of the tailings. In semi-arid climates where evaporation exceeds precipitation, salts may precipitate within the pore system as well as on the tailings surface. These salts become the temporal sink of heavy metals until the next episodic rainfall (Nordstrom, 2011, Grover et al., 2016). Therefore, using kinetic and static test to describe the trajectory of these material evolutions without considering the complex interactions could potentially lead to erroneous prediction. In order to understand these relations, the effect of drying and wetting cycles on the hydrological, geochemical and geomechanical properties of ageing tailings was studied to draw conclusions for advanced tailings site rehabilitation and mine closureCITATION:Akesseh, R, Shaygan, M, Usher, B, Edraki, M and Baumgartl, T, 2018. Wetting and drying cycles as a means to determine the effect and consequences of tailings ageing, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2018, pp 24–27 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 25, 2018

By S. Slottee

The disposal of plant tailings in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner has taken on increased importance throughout the world, across all types of mineral beneficiation plants. In the U.S. plant life span, expansions and new plants in the current robust mineral markets are faced with environmental pressures to minimize the use of land for disposal by maximizing existing tailings pond capacity. The combination of many drivers from economic to environmental have brought paste thickeners into the coal industry (PasteThick 2007) Thickening tailings to a more concentrated slurry is a common step in the disposal flow sheet. Thickening to a non-settling ?paste?, also called ?thickened tails? or ?tailings stacking?, is a relatively recent development. This paper describes the paste thickener as an alternative for dewatering a fine coal refuse (tailings) stream for deposit as a paste. Initial operating results of the paste thickener are discussed.

Jan 1, 2008

By M Logsdon, B Johnson, M Fordham

The underground Neves Corvo copper-tin mine in southern Portugal currently disposes of its tailings in a ætraditionalÆ wet tailings impoundment. With the development of new technologies for preparation and transport of thickened tailings or paste, alternative tailings disposal options have become available that provide a more sustainable water management system and a higher degree of environmental protection. In addition, growing European resistance towards subaqueous disposal may well result in mandatory use of dry disposal methods in the near future. Twenty-four tailings disposal alternatives were evaluated through a cost-effective and easily-implementable bench-scale geochemical screening program conducted at site. Since the tailings are pyrite-rich and highly acid generating, particular emphasis was placed on monitoring likely indicators of sulfide oxidation under the various simulated disposal scenarios. Dependent parameters investigated as part of the program included moisture content, use of alkaline additives (lime, cement), use of a bactericide, and agitation. Response parameters included paste pH, specific conductance, and temperature as indicators of oxidation. The testing was carried out for 30 weeks. Results indicate that a number of relationships between the geochemical stability of the samples (ie sulfide oxidation) and sample characteristics can be readily identified. Based on the results of the screening program, a limited number of tailings mixtures have been selected for further long-term testing in field weathering cells to aid in the identification of the optimal mix design for future tailings disposal at the Neves Corvo Mine. This type of testing provides an inexpensive and reliable methodology for semi-quantitative comparison between tailings disposal alternatives, in particular at locations where more rigorous evaluation through long-term, fully replicated testing is not immediately feasible.

Jan 1, 2003

By Jacob Bouke, Jason Janisch, Erik Vlot

The use of conventional tailings deposition methods has been the standard for decades. With the need to reduce the impact of mining, alternative methods are considered when expanding or upgrading tailings handling systems. Converting an existing tailings management system to a more sustainable deposition method during the operation of a mine may incur considerable operational and financial risk, and when assessed more traditionally, does not provide significant advantages. As a result, most mines choose to continue their current technology and add an additional pumping stage or pumpstation to their tailings line in case of a pipeline extension or Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) expansion. This also often involves raising embankments. Changing pumping technology is traditionally assessed by comparing the energy efficiency of current and prospective pumping technology. Despite a reduction in absorbed power, this traditional assessment does not include possible savings in water and the carbon footprint. With the consideration of all these three aspects, alternative pump technologies, such as Positive Displacement (PD) technology, become more economically feasible, providing increased sustainability and enable a site to future-proof their operations. Project feasibility may be affected by the high capital investment required for PD pumps. The benefit of applying PD pumping technology could be enhanced by reducing the volumetric throughput of the pipeline by dewatering the tailings to 65% solids concentration by weight. It was found that despite increasing capital expenditure, the improved reclamation of water will have a positive effect on the direct and indirect cost of fresh water intake to mine operations. This paper seeks to illustrate that in many applications the long-term benefits of investing in sustainable tailings management are optimized when more efficient PD pumping technology is combined with tailings dewatering when upgrading or expanding the tailings handling system.

Feb 1, 2024

By J. Shang, P. Howarth, B. Morris

Tailings from the nickel refinery in Copper Cliff, Ontario, consist of fine silicates mixed with a variable amount of conductive and magnetic minerals mainly associated with sulphides and iron oxides. Subsequent oxidation of sulphide- rich phases within the tailings results in the formation of an acidic leachate that may contain significant concentrations of trace metals. Mapping the spatial distribution of regions of higher sulphide concentration therefore provides insight into the distribution of the acidgenerating potential within the tailings. Electrical conductivity is constrained by two parameters — the concentration of metallic sulphides and the ionic concentration of acid in groundwater. Magnetic susceptibility is directly related to the pyrrhotite and magnetite content. It is proposed that combining information derived from airborne electromagnetic and magnetic surveys can provide an indication of metallic sulphide distribution. Preliminary investigations of airborne electromagnetic and magnetic data acquired concurrently over the sulphide-rich Copper Cliff tailings site reveal that these parameters can provide information on mine tailing extent and permit separation of tailings with varying compositional and alteration levels. Airborne geophysical data provide information about the subsurface while a digital elevation model (DEM) and hyperspectral imagery record surface conditions. Integration of the two data sets can reduce ambiguity when interpreting mine tailing distributions and their subsequent alterations.

Jan 1, 2001

By D A. Williams, P J. Chapman

The acceptable rate of rise of the tailings beaches on upstream-raised tailings storage facilities (TSFs) is critical to life of mine planning. This is illustrated through a case study in Western Australia presented in this paper. Accurate estimates of expected beach slopes, the maximum rate of rise at which the tailings can be placed, and the dry density that the tailings solids will achieve after deposition (stored density) are required in order to design TSFs that will allow upstream raises to be constructed safely and economically. Where operations have been occurring for some time, these three parameters are able to be measured and can be well-defined. If process plant throughputs are proposed to increase through mine expansion, for example, increasing the rate of rise of the tailings can compromise the potential for upstream TSF raising, thus influencing the viability of such an expansion, the timing for its implementation, and significantly increase costs.This paper outlines how rate of rise can be a key constraint, and that ‘rules of thumb’ that are typically applied may not result in the outcomes they were meant to achieve. An example of an experimental method to justify an increase to the ‘rule of thumb’ ~2.5 m/year limit for gold tailings in a semi-arid climatic setting is discussed, followed by rate of rise modelling that ultimately framed the decision-making process for a mine expansion. The rate of rise modelling method was adopted to carefully distribute tailings deposition across four TSFs, comprising nine separate tailings cells, in order to maintain appropriate rates of rise. The implications resulting from various deposition splits are presented, including the need for expansion. In addition, this paper outlines the effect of rate of rise on the state (density) of the tailings after deposition, and provides commentary on how anecdotally acceptable rates of rise, based on the aforementioned ‘rule of thumb’ of 2.5 m/year may not provide assurance of geotechnical stability through the tailings achieving a dilative state, as has been thought in the past. An example of the influence of rate of rise on the state of the tailings, with respect to air-drying and the critical state line (CSL) for the material, is presented. The data indicate that reducing the rate of rise may allow a higher dry density to be achieved through air-drying (evaporative desiccation), sufficient to move the material from the contractive to the dilative zone (i.e. from above the CSL, to sufficiently below it).CITATION:Chapman, P J and Williams, D A, 2018. The importance of rate of rise in life-of-mine planning of an upstream raised tailings storage facility – a case study, in Proceedings Mine Waste and Tailings Stewardship Conference 2018, pp 350–360 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 23, 2018

By H. Hamza

Efficient and effective management of extraction process tailings is an essential ingredient for the continued success and development of Alberta's vast oil sands resources. Open-pit oil sands operations north of Fort McMurray recover bitumen from flotation circuits. Process tailings are managed in carefully engineered and monitored external tailings management facilities and in below-grade mine pits. In order to support reduction of production costs and improve upon established tailings management practices, CANMET has been working with the oil sands industry in a collaborative framework to assess the potential to integrate thickened tailings into oil sands extraction process flowsheets. Albian Sands has commercialized the process while others, including Syncrude Canada Ltd., continue to evaluate the suitability of the process for their operations. This paper provides an update on R&D work undertaken in recent years to assess and develop the potential of thickened tailings technology for the open-pit oil sands operators of northern Alberta. The aim of this work was to explore opportunities to optimize process efficiency and environmental sustainability by improving water and energy conservation and develop more alternatives for tailings management and reclamation.

Jan 1, 2004