2012 Amer i cas School of

Mi nes
W Scott Dunbar
University of British Columbia
www.pwc.com
Basics of Mining and Mineral Processing
Agenda
GeologicalConcepts
MiningMethods
MineralProcessingMethods
MineWasteManagement
MiningandMoney
AFutureofMining
PwC
www.edwardburtynsky.com
Mi ne Waste Management: The Topi cs
Typesofminewaste
Methodsofminewaste
management
Sometailingsincidents
Whattodowithmine
waste
MineWasteManagement 3
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Mi ne Waste Str eams
MineWasteManagement
Mine
Mill
Tailings
Wastewater
Acidrockdrainage
Wasterock
4
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Tai li ngs
MineWasteManagement 5
Finelygroundrockfromtheconcentrator/processingplant
Particles0.1mmindiameter(sandandsilt)
Threebasicformsofdisposal
wettailingsinslurryform
thickenedtailings
dewateredtailings
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Wet Tai li ngs Deposi ti on
Crest
Original
ground
Ponded
water
Consolidated
tailings
Tailings
beach
Zonedwasterock
embankment
Waihi Gold,NewZealandcirca2005
www.newmont.com
cyclones
MineWasteManagement 6
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Tai li ngs Ponds
HuckleberryMine,BC
Dam
SubaqueoustailingsdisposalRPM
goldmine,Brazil
MineWasteManagement 7
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Dewateri ng by thi ckener
Thickenercrosssection
www.miningtechnology.com/contractors/separation/cdeglobal
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Thi ckened Tai li ngs
This
thickened,wetenoughtopump
throughapipe,butdryenoughto
minimizeflowafterdischarge
smallerfootprint
versusthis
MineWasteManagement 9
ThickenedtailingsatKiddCreekOntario
www.tailings.info/thickened.htm
SinglepointdischargeatGlebeMinesUK
www.tailings.info/deposition.htm
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Dewateri ng by a belt press
Slurry in the feed hopper is sandwiched between
two filter cloths (shown green and purple). Fluid is
extracted initially by gravity, then by squeezing the
cloth through rollers. Filtrate exits through a drain,
while solids fall into a container.
Expensive, but necessary if water is
needed especially in a dry climate.
Also used to dry mineral
concentrates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belt_filter
MineWasteManagement 10
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Dry Tai li ngs (La Coi pa, Chi le)
Dryclimate needtoconservewaterforprocessingoresotailingsare
dewateredanddepositeddry.
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Antami na Tai li ngs Dam, Peru
Rockfill damwithupstreamconcreteface
Capacity:570milliontonnes
Ultimateheight:240m
Source:Golder Associateswww.golder.com/sa
MineWasteManagement 12
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Tai li ngs Water Balance
Freshwater
makeup
Mill
Tailingsslurry
transport
Reclaim
Dam
Waterin
tailings
voids
Seepage
recovery
Losses
Seepage
E
v
a
p
o
r
a
t
i
o
n
R
u
n
o
f
f
P
r
e
c
i
p
i
t
a
t
i
o
n
Monitoredcloselytocheckforleaks.Notailingspond,noprocessing.
Pump
barge
MineWasteManagement 13
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Oi l sands tai li ngs
MineWasteManagement 14
sand&silt
suspended
clay
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Notes: Oi l sands tai li ngs
15 MineWasteManagement
Fine clay particles derived from processing of oil sands remain suspended in large lagoons
near processing plants. Clay slurry retains water that must be reused in processing. Fines
and water can be separated with flocculants, but flocculants in recycled water interfere
with oil sand processing.
As of 2008, about 750 million cubic metres of fluid clay tailings exist within the tailings
ponds near oil sands operations in Fort McMurray. If there is no change in processing
method or tailings management, the amount of fluid tailings is forecast to reach one billion
cubic metres in 2014 and two billion in 2034.
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Waste Rock Dumps
Nonmineralizedrockand/orlowgradeore
Particlesizesrangefromclaysizeto2m
Bagdad2008
Dumpingoverburden(Batu Bersih Grasberg)
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Mor enci mi ne waste pi le
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How much tai li ngs and waste?
Consideracopperminewith0.5%grade
170,000tonnesperdayx360daysperyearx20years
1.224billiontonneswaste+ore
Suppose the strip ratio is waste/ore = 0.5. This gives
816milliontonnesoreand408milliontonneswaste
Suppose 27% copper concentrate is produced, recovery 90%
Thisyields13.6milliontonnesconcentrate
leaving816 13.6=802.4milliontonnestailings
8milliontonnesofconcretewereusedtobuildtheHooverDam
MineWasteManagement 18
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Notes: How much tai li ngs and waste?
19 MineWasteManagement
Consider a copper mine with 0.5% grade (Thats one part in 200 parts). If the
mining rate is 170,000 tonnes per day, 360 days per year over 20 years, 1.224
billion tonnes (Bt) of waste + ore will be produced.
Suppose the strip ratio is waste/ore = 0.5. If waste + ore = 1.224 Bt, then 816
million tonnes ore and 408 million tonnes of waste will be produced.
Suppose a concentrate with grade 27% copper is produced and the recovery is
90%. A simple mass balance gives
Ktonnesore 0.005 0.9=1tonneconcentrate 0.27
From which K = 60 tonnes ore to produce one tonne of concentrate. Thus from 816
million tonnes of ore 816/60 = 13.6 million tonnes concentrate will be produced.
This leaves 816 13.6 = 802.4 million tonnes of tailings.
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Aci d Rock Drai nage (ARD)
Similar reactions for other metal sulfides
metal contaminated water
Treatments:
Add lime to neutralize acid, but does nothing about metal
contamination. Also expensive
Prevent by flooding keeps the oxygen out
Acid produced by exposure of sulfide minerals to air and water (an
oxidation reaction). For example, pyrite:
Yellow boy
pyrite + oxygen + water
sulphuric
acid
+
iron
hydroxide
4FeS
2
+ 15O
2
+ 14H
2
O 8H
2
SO
4
+ 4Fe(OH)
3
MineWasteManagement 20
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Some Examples of ARD
MountWashingtonMine,BC
EquitySilver,BC
PeruvianAndes
Some ARD is natural. Acid may be produced from a mineral deposit containing pyrite if exposed to air and natural
water flows through it. Nearby creeks or rivers will have high acid concentrations and no plant life.
EquitySilverMine,BC
AciddrainagefromMissouri
coalmine
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Tai li ngs I nci dents
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Stava,Italy(July1985)
Merriespruit,SouthAfrica(Feb1994)
Omai,Guyana(Aug1995)
Marcopper,Philippines(Mar1996)
LosFrailes,Spain(April25,1998)
Ajka,Hungary(October4,2010)
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Omai , Guyana
Internalerosioncausedcrestoftailingsdamtodropover1m
CyanidelacedtailingswaterreleasedintotheOmai river
Internalerosiontobeexplained
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The crest slump at Omai
MineWasteManagement
August1995
Photosource:MineralPolicyCenter
24
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Never let thi s happen!
MineWasteManagement
Internalerosion
offines
Waterpressure
Needatransition
zonebetweensand
andsilts
Coarse
Fines
25
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Notes: Never let thi s happen!
MineWasteManagement
The story is that suitable material to continue building the dam became unavailable, but
production continued. So the cyanidelaced tailings were coming with no dam to contain
them. Mine personnel used what was available crushed waste rock. This was too coarse
grained and the sandy material used to build the dam filtered through it.
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Marcopper Phi li ppi nes, Tapi an Pi t
MineWasteManagement 27
Tunnelfrompitusedtodrainthepitwhen
itwasinoperation
CatherineCoumans,1987
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Tapi an Pi t: Cross-secti on
Concretepluginstalled
beforetailingsplacedinpit
Tailings
(saturated)
Rock
MineWasteManagement 28
30m
~2.5km
~300m
Collapsed
tunnelportal
PwC
Notes: Tapi an Pi t Cr oss-Secti on
29 MineWasteManagement
How much water pressure was on the rock around the plug? That is easily computed:
P = density of water acceleration due to gravity height of water
= 1000 kg/m
3
9.8 m/sec
2
300 m
= 2,940,000 Pascals
Thats about 426 pounds per square inch (psi). (By way of comparison, your car tire pressure is 4050
psi.) But what was the pressure in the ground where the rupture occurred? That is also easily
computed. The depth of rock over the rupture was about 30 meters. The density of most rock is
between 2000 and 2500 kg/m
3
. Lets estimate a range of rock pressure:
P = density of rock acceleration due to gravity depth of rock
= (2000 to 2500) kg/m
3
9.8 m/sec
2
30 m
= 588,000 to 735,000 Pascals
Thats a range of 85 psi to 107 psi. So there is 426 psi of water pressure up against 85 to 107 psi of rock
pressure. What do you think will win? (Hint: The concrete plug would likely not crack way too strong.)
PwC
Mar ch 24, 1996
The physics worked. Rock around the plug
fractured causing leaks. 1.6 million m
3
of
tailings were released into the 26 km long
Boac river.
DredgedchannelatmouthofBoac River
MineWasteManagement 30
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Los Frai les Spai n
1.3millionm
3
tailingsand5.5millionm
3
acidictailings
waterreleasedintoRioAgrio
Deepfailurein
foundationcaused
ruptureofdam
Pyrite(acidic)
tailings
Nonmetallic
tailings
MineWasteManagement 31
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April27,1998
C$1.45pricedrop
The mar ket clobber s Boli den shar e pr i ce
after the Los Fr ai les i nci dent
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Alumi num plant at Aj ka, Hungary
MineWasteManagement 33
Untreatedwastekeptbehindlargedamwhichfailed
October4,2010
PwC
A 800,000 m
3
spi ll
4045%ironoxide
1015%aluminumoxide
1015%siliconoxide
plusothermetaloxides
Sevenpeoplekilled,150injured,500displaced
$100millioninfinesimposedoncompany
Managerofcompanyarrested,companyassetsseized
Criminalnegligencechargesbeingconsidered
MineWasteManagement 34
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The Real Costs
MineWasteManagement 35
Liveslost
Environmentaldamage
Criminalchargesandjailterms
minemanagersguiltybyreasonofassociation
Lawsuits
fromlocalsandinterestgroupsrepresentinglocals
Cleanupcostsandliabilities
largerange:$500millionto$4billion
Lossofreputationand
possiblelossofsociallicense
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Could somethi ng as
bad as thi s happen i n
the mi ni ng i ndustry?
MineWasteManagement 36
Deepwater Horizonoilspill
akatheBPoilspill,theGulfof
Mexicooilspill,theBPoildisaster,
ortheMacondo blowout
April20,2010
PwC
Reclai med Tai li ngs
HighlandValley,BC
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Reclamati on at Wai hi Gold, New Zealand
www.marthamine.co.nz/waste_tailings.html
2008
circa2005
www.newmont.com
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Ki dston Gold Mi ne, Austr ali a
Wasterockend
dumpedintopit
Thickenedtailings
depositedintopit
Source:Golder Associates,2005.Codisposal.Availableat:www.infomine.com/publications/docs/CodisposalPresentation.ppt
Wasteeventuallyextendedover
tailingsresultinginacover
MineWasteManagement 39
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Cover sulfi de waste wi th non-sulfi de waste
Goalistomaintainsaturationofhighsulfidewaste
Canbedesignedgivendispositionofwastetypesinorebody model
Lowpermeability
barrier
Nonsulfide
waste
Highsulfide
waste
Lowpermeability
foundation
Watertable
withindump
MineWasteManagement 40
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Cemented paste backfi ll
Cementedpastepouredintostope
atLisheen mine,Ireland
www.lisheenmine.ie/?Backfill
MineWasteManagement 41
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Myra Falls, Bri ti sh Columbi a
Undergroundmine:
Cu,Zn,Pb withAuandAg
SituatedinStrathcona ProvincialPark
Tailingspond?Thisisitandtheresno
moreroomforcoarsetailings
Mustusepastebackfill
w
w
w
.
e
m
.
g
o
v
.
b
c
.
c
a
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Passi ve treatment of ARD
influent:
H
2
SO
4
&metalions
organiclayer
limestone
settling
pond
effluent
Wetlandplantsplanted
inorganiclayer
Formationof
metalsulfides
Neutralization
ofacid
oxidationof
ironrust
Valveopenedtoflush
outlimestone
MineWasteManagement 43
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Treatment of ARD i n Pennsylvani a
www.somersetcountyconservancy.org/restoration.html
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Co-di sposal
Dewatertailings,combinewithwasterock
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ENDOFPART4
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