Characteristics, failure, environmental impacts, and remediation. Inpit tailings storage at granites gold mine, northern territory. Abundance of the minerals was analyzed by mla and composition of the minerals was examined by epma. Copper mining generates large quantities of waste, tailings, and acid outflows. Desulfurization of the old tailings at the auagcu tiouit mine anti. For hardrock metal mines, tailings are usually a very fine mud or powder, which is left over after ore is crushed and valuable minerals are extracted from it. Controls on carbonate mineralogy and efficiency of co2 air capture in mine tailings. Platinum mine has the largest surface area, recording 5. The composition of tailings is directly dependent on the composition of the ore and the process of mineral extraction used on the ore. Evaluation of metal mobility from copper mine tailings in. Trace element concentrations in the sulphates ofthe ore. A tailings dam is a largescale, manmade structure that is constructed worldwide to keep waste tailings away from ongoing mining activities where tailing are mixtures of crushed rocks 1. Mine tailings may have economic value in carbon sequestration due to the large exposed surface area of the minerals.
The most important component of the closure plan in terms of cost and meeting water quality criteria was the design and implementation of a revegetation plan. Chemical and mineral analysis of flotation tailings from. Table 1 shows the chemical composition of the mine tailings. Tailings and mine waste management what is in this topic. The permanent closure of approximately 5,500 acres of copper tailings at the white pine mine tailings in the upper peninsula of michigan was performed over a fouryear period. About 80% of the water used at the mine is recycled and reused. Feb 15, 1994 although the composition analysis of the copper mine tailings shows that silica sand, and lime is readily available, there are no known processes for producing building structural material that have capitalized on the availability of the silica and other of the contained elements in the waste material resource. New approaches for extracting and recovering metals from. Mount milligan is located approximately 90 miles northwest of prince george in central british columbia, canada. For hardrock metal mines, tailings are usually a very fine mud or powder. As far as i was able to ascertain, the disaster was never reported in the media of my region of northern minnesota. Decreasing copper concentrations have gradually permitted algal growth. Chambishi, which represents an older mine tailings age about 40 y and mindolo, which represents a relatively young mine tailings age less than 10 y. Total concentrations of as and heavy metals were significantly higher than korean soil contamination criteria.
Minerals recovery of copper mine tailings on lake superior coastline for use as raw material in the manufacture of roofing shingles epa contract number. Tailings can be liquid, solid, or a slurry of fine particles, and are usually highly toxic and potentially radioactive. A typical example of a copper mine megaflood happened on august 4, 2014 at mount polleys tailings pond in british columbia. A method of environmental cleanup by producing an autoclaved aerated cement building material termed aac by a process that uses the available silica sand and other raw materials in mine tailings, in particular copper mine tailings from porphyry copper mines. Tailings from impala have proven to be the sample with the lowest surface area reporting at 0. Method of environmental cleanup and producing building. The tailing was classified as salinesodic with high concentrations of metals, especially cu and fe, with ph 8. This process of product extraction is never 100% efficient, nor is it possible to reclaim all. As with waste rock, it is important to characterize the tailings to know what the composition is. Special feature of heap i is a depletion in s and ca but a high percentage of loss on ignition loi. The copper mountain mine, operated by cmml, is located approximately 15km southwest of princeton, in southcentral british columbia.
They are located directly at the mines to achieve low transport costs. The tailings material consists of alternating layers of sand, silt and clay. The tailings are finegrained, meaning that the surface area is high and weathering is expected to be high. Copper was abundant in various primary mostly chalcopyrite and secondary cuprite, atacamite, b.
The mount milligan mine is a conventional truckshovel openpit copper and gold mine and concentrator with a 60,000 tpd capacity copper flotation processing plant. An attempt was previously made to establish such a vegetation cover on an abandoned tailings facility in southern ireland. Minerals recovery of copper mine tailings on lake superior. Table 2 presents the chemical composition of the gold and.
Hydrotalcites and hydrated mgcarbonates as carbon sinks in serpentinite mineral wastes from the woodsreef chrysotile mine, new south wales, australia. The composition of tailings depends on the composition of the ore and the extraction process used to obtain the ore. Tailings are the leftover material after the minerals that contain the elements of interest have been removed. The copper tailings were used at 20% content as a fine granite replacement for fraction size smaller than 1. Each ore type differs mainly in terms of chemical and mineral compositions, physical properties and. Tailings may also contain chemicals used for mineral extraction. These groups of flotation cells work together to give a high total yield of the bulk ore, which is sent on to be thickened. Leachability of arsenic and heavy metals from mine tailings. Stability investigation of eti copper mine tailings dam using finite element analysis submitted by esra nur tanriseven in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of science in mining engineering department, middle east technical university by, prof. Resolution copper will use cuttingedge technology for a state of the art modern mine that will be operated responsibly according to our commitment to sustainable development and environmental stewardship. Background zambias major economic activity is mining, and as at 2005, mining contributed about 65% of export earnings.
Composition and structure of soil fauna community in the. These tailings contain large amounts of pyrite fes 2 and ironii sulfide fes, which are rejected from the soughtafter ores of copper and nickel, as well as coal. Aug 10, 2018 sulfuric acid is sometimes produced when water interacts with tailings, or it can be a byproduct of ore processing. The process minimizes the need for processed silica sand and other raw materials, normally used in the production of the aac building. The properties of copper tailings, a finegrained residue waste produced from beneficiation of copper ore, and their effects on the properties of bituminous mix were studied by oluwasola et al. The thickened tailings flow by gravity in large pipes to tailings ponds, where the solid material settles out and additional water is recovered and pumped back to the mill. Pdf geotechnical characteristics of copper mine tailings. Particle size distribution of copper mine tailings from lohan. The concentrations of the produced coarse iron and fine iron tailings from the yuhezhai iron mine were about 6570 and 70 wt%, respectively, and the concentrations of the coarse copper and fine copper tailings from the bahuerachi copper mine were about 72 and 60 wt%.
Jun 15, 2012 ecological restoration, using tolerant plant species and nutrient additions, is a lowcost option to decrease environmental risks associated with mine tailings. Reclamation and remediation of the stored tailings will be an ongoing process throughout the mining cycle in order to mitigate environmental impacts. Approximately 81 percent was generated by the copper, iron, uranium, and phosphate industries combined, including 84 percent of the overburden and waste rock from surface mining, 42 percent of the waste rock from underground mining, and 76 percent of the tailings. A research program was therefore initiated at the university of pretoria, to investigate the composition and state of south african gold tailings on the far west rand gold reefs. Potential for reuse of gold mine tailings as secondary. The composition of this manmade material and its influence on the insitu state of tailings is of particular importance. In this regard, construction of tailings dams plays a major role. It was called the worst environmental disaster in canadian history. Pdf potentials of steel slag and copper mine tailings as. Mineral tailings from two copper mines were bioleached under. Certain types of extraction process, like heap leaching for example, may result in quantities of chemicals used to perform the leaching remaining in the material once leaching has been completed. The materials used in this investigation include copper mine tailings mt, reagent grade 98% sodium hydroxide naoh, and deionized water.
Mine tailings size and composition depends on the mining method. Initial project has been set up by hindustan copper ltd to exploit the copper ore through an open pit mine. Geochemistry of surface samples of the tailings deposits. This research was undertaken to study the effects of copper mine tailings as a replacement of sand on the properties of concrete and also to bring the alternative aggregates for the future. Our objectives were to 1 compare the physicochemical properties of the tailing with surrounding soils of the mine under study, and 2 evaluate the effect of two amendments caco3 and. Copper tailings as a potential additive in concrete.
This shows that copper tailings is not chemically a reactive material to. Weve created a visualization of what mine tailings waste rock storage will look like in the future when the mine becomes operational. Tailings consist of ground rock and process effluents that are generated in a mine processing plant. Mine tailings geochemistry mineralogy cobalt copper reprocessing. The mine tailings were received in the form of dry powder from mission mine operations of asarco llc in tucson, arizona. These dams contain millions of gallons of mine waste that has the consistency of slime. Abstract in india, 4 million tons of copper tailings produce every year, out of which 25,000 tons produce in khetri copper mines, khetri, and rajasthan. The sample material, taken for processing had cucontents between 0. About 95 % of the ore input goes into the tailings, which are stored in large dams near the mine and are used for water recycling to the flotation stages.
The copper, iron, uranium, and phosphate industries not only account for the bulk of the metal and nonmetal mineral wastes. Copper mine tailings ponds are encircled by soft, sometimes disturbingly soluble earthen dams that are supposed to contain the liquid slurry forever. This work shows the results obtained on a copper mine tailing in the antofagasta region, chile. Determining the rheological properties of mine tailings. Historically, the tailings site has been prone to dusting and is a potential source of contamination to the. Chemical compositions of the tailings samples were obtained by. The official death toll is 107, but the unofficial estimate was more than 480. Database of mineral international workshop on unfc. The fraction of tailings to ore can range from 9098% for some copper ores to 2050% of the other less valuable minerals. The gold mining operations in johannesburg, south africa has resulted in the production. The effects of copper tailings as an additive, on some durability properties of cement mixtures were investigated. Management approach and performance related to waste management, including the construction, operation, and ongoing monitoring of the various health, safety, and environmental risks and impacts associated with tailings storage tsfs and waste rock facilities. These copper tailings contain toxic heavy metals which pollute.
Mechanical and chemical processes are used to extract the desired product from the run of the mine ore and produce a waste stream known as tailings. Crushed gravel was used as a synthetic waste rock and mixed with four types of tailings. Elsewhere, copper, lead, zinc gold and iron ore mine tailings have been used to produce cemented blocks jacobi, 1975. Tailings are leftover mineral byproducts of ore processing. Copper concentrators typically treat up to 100 000 t of ore per day. Geological survey of india took systematic geological exploration at this deposit during 1969. This value range reflects the typical acid character of stored mine tailings. T1 production of ecofriendly bricks from copper mine tailings through geopolymerization. Cement mixtures containing copper tailings as an additive. Flotation tailings, flotation, copper ore, automated mineralogy. Bolivian mine tailings primary phases undergoing cementation by secondary jarosite following three years of column leaching experiments described in kossoff et al. This handbook addresses the theme of tailings management in the leading practice sustainable. Mineralogical characterization of selected south african. In each mixture, copper tailings addition levels by mass were 0%, 5% and 10%.
Mineralogical and geochemical changes of copper flotation tailings in relation to their original composition and climatic settings implications for acid mine drainage and element mobility. At mount polley mp, the valuable elements are copper cu, gold au and silver ag and they are found most commonly in the sulphide minerals, chalcopyrite cufes 2 and bornite cu 5 fes 4. Minerals recovery of copper mine tailings on lake superior coastline for use as raw material in the manufacture of roofing shingles. Database of mineral international workshop on unfc2009. Lessons from the most toxic open pit copper mine in the world. In the first stage of the remedial provisions for sarcheshmeh copper. A total 450,000 cu m of mud and water inundated vratsa and the nearby village of zgorigrad, which suffered widespread damage. Journal of african earth sciences 57 2010 1430 nkana processing plant.
Malanjkhand copper project was established in 1982. Component cement copper tailing chemical composition % sio2 29. Both the copper and moly sulfide ores together bulk float in rougher flotation cells, then cleaner column cells, and often scavenger cells. Approximately 81 percent was generated by the copper, iron, uranium, and phosphate industries combined, including 84 percent of the overburden and waste rock from surface mining, 42 percent of the waste rock from underground. The microbial community composition was affected by temperature and the tailings. The effluent from the tailings from the mining of sulfidic minerals has been described as the largest environmental liability of the mining industry. The amount of marketable copper produced is small compared to the original material mined. International journal for research in applied science. Geoenvironmental characterization of sulfide mine tailings. From the above table we can see that free and combined limes contribute to only 0. According to the united states geological survey usgs, production in these states and michigan account for more than 99% of domestic copper production. Chemical composition of weathering products in neutral and acidic mine tailings from stibnite exploitation in slovakia tomas klimko 1, bronislava lalinska 1, juraj majzlan 2, martin chovan 1, gabriela kucerova 1. Major minerals are copper and cobalt copper production stands at 465,000 mt, and is expected to reach about 700,000 mt by 2010. Malanjkhand copper project hindustan copper limited.
Utilizing mine tailings as substitute construction material. Copper mining and production wastes within the united states, mining and production of copper are primarily located in the west, specifically arizona, new mexico, utah, nevada and montana. Potentials of steel slag and copper mine tailings as construction materials materials research innovations 2014 vol 18 suppl 6 s6253 metals present in copper tailings are copper. Geotechnical properties of mine tailings journal of.
An alternative to watercovered mine tailings areas. Four copper mine tailings in chile were investigated for their elemental and mineral composition, in order to evaluate the potential for economic reprocessing. The chemistry and toxicity of discharge waters from copper mine. A tailings dam at plakalnitsa copper mine near the city of vratsa failed. Tailings from copper and uranium mining often produce measurable levels of radioactivity. Mine tailings may contain base transition metals, such as iron, copper, nickel and zinc, in relatively high concentrations, and also occasionally precious metals such as gold and silver, in minerals and native metals that have been not been separated by froth flotation e. Composition and structure of soil fauna community in the dexing copper mine tailings pool after revegetation ping lu1, nianhua dai1, xiaoyan sun1, guohua zhang1, derong xu2, youhong zhan3 1institute of biological resources, jiangxi academy of sciences, nanchang, p. Economic potential for reprocessing copper mine tailings. Sulfuric acid is sometimes produced when water interacts with tailings, or it can be a byproduct of ore processing.
Characterization and economic potential of historic tailings from. More recent studies report reuse of hematite mine tailings chen et al. The project area is situated approximately 300km from vancouver, at lat. Nov 17, 2009 in order to measure total concentrations of as and heavy metals in the mine tailings, three standard usa and korean methods were used. Production of ecofriendly bricks from copper mine tailings. Publications sumirco bernhard dold sustainable mining. Numerous other tailings projects are underway in australia. Pdf physicochemical and mineralogical characterization of. This is followed by nkomati nickel mine and the ookiep copper company recording a specific surface area of 3.
According to geochemical pattern, the tailings dump can be subdivided into three groups, as shown in fig. A tailings dam is typically an earthfill embankment dam used to store byproducts of mining operations after separating the ore from the gangue. Cu in tailings from us copper mining before 1900, i. Geochemistry and mineralogy of copper mine tailings. As a result, highly acidic water leaks from the tailings and disrupts aquatic life downstream. When a tailings pond dam at the mount polley copper and gold mine in british columbia failed recently, over 10 million cubic metres of alkaline water and 4. Resolution copper will use cuttingedge technology for a state of the art continued. The chemical composition of copper tailings, as provided in gupta and thomas 20 and miller and collins 1976, shows that copper tailings have low calcium oxide cao at 0. The composition of the tailings is similar to the ore. Mining activities produce a variety of waste products, including waste rock, slags, overburden, mine water, and tailings. Epa method 6010, kst for soil, and kst for waste, as shown in table 4 1517. Original paper chemical composition of weathering products in.
Each pond is an environmental disaster waiting to happen. The composition of all tailing samples is characterized by the high contents of orebearing elements in each district. Most of the tailings dams require some kinds of remedial actions during their operational lifetime, among which heightening is the most common. Effects of pelletized and nonpelletized poultry litter and nutrient immobilizing agent on surface runoff water quality from a forage based system. Particle size distribution of copper mine tailings from lohan ranau sabah and its relationship with heavy metal content marcus jopony, glres usup and murtedza mohamed faculty ofscience and natural resources, ukm sabah, 88996 kota kinabalu, sabah. Australian broadcasting company reports that western australian company carbine resources is investigating the technical viability of extracting an estimated million ounces of gold and 60,000 tons of copper left in the tailings at the old mt. This study describes conditions at two mine tailings sites fig. A tailing of copper flotation process contains iron sulfur and other elements, magnetic separation process obtained a unqualified products, because the grade of iron concentrate is only 60%, but the grade of sulfur is 2%, and the grade of sio2 is. N2 this paper studies the feasibility of utilizing copper mine tailings for production of ecofriendly bricks based on the geopolymerization technology. Mine tailings mt have been used in previous studies as substitute construction material to recycle waste products, especially in hollow blocks and bricks production and as masonry mortar. Copper mining waste storage piles may be as large as 1,000 acres and typically include three types of waste. The lumwana project acquired by equinox resources ltd of australia in 2000, contains two large copper.
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