Andrew Watson

Selection of the Best Alternative
September 14, 2011

Andrew H. Watson General Manager, MWH Peru
Presentation Outline
Define Alternative Tailing Disposal (ATD)
Understand why we consider Alternative Tailing Disposal (ATD).
Understand how to decide on an disposal method.
Discuss the challenges and unanswered questions.
Conclusions and a call to action
Tailings Disposal
Conclusions and a call to action.
Conventional Tailing Disposal
Thickened Tailing Disposal
Paste Tailing Disposal
Filtered Dry Stack Tailing Disposal
The Benefits of ATD
Why we consider ATD: Water Savings
Water Recovery (%)
Water Recovery by Tailings Type

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Conventional
Tailings
Thickened Tailings
Paste
Filtered Tailings
Why we consider ATD: Risk Reduction

Tailing
Facility
Stewardship
Why we consider ATD: Risk Reduction*
Why we consider ATD: Space Limitation

All of the ATD methods save
space over conventional

disposal, however
Filtered Tailing Disposal saves
the most.
Why we consider ATD:

Reduced Embankment Volume
Yield Stress by Tailings Type
1400
Yield Stress (Pa)
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Convential
Tailings
Thickened
Tailings
Paste
Filtered
Tailings
The higher yield stress prevents

the need for a tailings dam.
Its All About Water and Risk Reduction

Many miners, regulators, and

NGOs are asking that filtered
tailing disposal be considered
for any major expansion or green
field site.
Evaluations require considerable
effort!
A simple screening methodology
has been used to assess fatal
flaws and initial feasibility.
Screening Options for Tailing Disposal

Fatal Flaw Analysis

Multiple Accounts Analysis
Qualitative Evaluation Ranking
Detailed Quantitative Ranking
Cost Analysis
Requirements for Tailing Disposal

Site Characteristics

Tailing Characteristics

Topography
Seismicity
Climate
Space
Water Balance
Gradation and Plasticity
Geochemistry
Regulatory Setting/Landuse/Social

Implications of Failure
Permitting
Landuse
Closure
Key Criteria for

Assessment
of Fatal Flaws and
Qualitative Evaluation
Fatal Flaw Screening

Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Steep or flat
High degree of care
Seismicity
Medium degree of care
Dry or wet
Climate
Dry or wet
Large footprint
Space
Small(er) footprint
Plentiful
Water Balance
Limited
Time needed
Closure
Quick/easy
High & low fines/plasticity
Gradation & Plasticity
High fines/high plasticity
Large footprint
Geochemistry
Small(er) footprint
Higher
Lower
Difficult
E
N
T
Permitting
Easier
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
L
T
Range of Global Sites to be Considered

Eastern Europe
Latin America
Western Europe
Central America
Latin America

Wet site (rainfall exceeds evaporation)

Steep topography
High seismicity
Limited to no space for expansion
Mine life controlled by tailing storage
Production rate 6 Mtpa
High clay content in tailing
Filter tailing considered as combined
disposal for expansion of capacity
Currently thickening to 55% .

Evaluated:
paste
filtered
Neutral
Disadvantage
Topography Steep, rugged, valley
Very steep valley,

Steep orfor
valleywet
efficient
disposal
High
degree of care
Topography
Topography
Topography
Topography
Seismicity
Major Disadvantage or
Fatal Flaw
Favorable
Suitable for dry

Steep
or flat
stack
if fill
across
valley
Medium
degree of
care
Dry or wet
Climate
Dry or wet
Large footprint
Space
Small(er) footprint
Plentiful
Water Balance
Limited
Time needed
Closure
Quick/easy
Large footprint
Geochemistry
Small(er) footprint
Higher
Lower
Difficult
E
N
T
Permitting
Easier
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
L
T
Neutral
Disadvantage
Fatal Flaw
Seismicity - High
Favorable
Topography
Topography
Rockfill
dam can
Steep or valley
be designed and
constructed
High degree of careto
meet seismic
Dry orcriteria
wet
design
Large footprint
Space
Plentiful
Water Balance
Time needed
Closure
Quick/easy
Large footprint
Geochemistry
Small(er) footprint
Seismicity
Seismicity
Climate
Filtering
operation
Steep or flat
can be designed
to produce
Medium
degree of care
seismically stable
Dry or wetafter
material
placement and
F
Small(er)
footprint
compaction
I
Limited
E
N
Higher
Lower
N
A
Difficult
Permitting
Easier
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
E
D
Neutral
Climate Defined wet and dry season,

rain fall exceeds evaporation
Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Disadvantage
Fatal Flaw
Favorable
Steep or flat
Plentiful
Water Balance
Placement during
wet
season
may
Medium
degree of care
require special
Dry or wet or
measures
specific wet
Small(er) footprint
material
placement
areas
Limited
Time needed
Closure
Quick/easy
Large footprint
Geochemistry
Small(er) footprint
C
O
N
V
Wet
disposal can
High degree of care
accommodate
wet Dry
conditions
or wet
with pond
Large footprint
management
Seismicity
Climate
Climate
Space
Higher
Lower
N
A
I
L
E
N
Difficult
Permitting
Easier
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
E
D
Neutral
Disadvantage
Space Very tight property boundary
Fatal Flaw
Favorable
Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Steep or flat
High degree of care
Seismicity
Dry or wet
Climate
Large facility with

Large footprint
low density
tailing
Space
Space
Plentiful
Water Balance
Small footprint,
high
density,
Small(er)
footprint
efficient use of
space
Limited
Time needed
Closure
Quick/easy
Large footprint
Geochemistry
Small(er) footprint
Dry or wet
Higher
Lower
N
A
I
L
E
N
Difficult
Permitting
Easier
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
E
D
Neutral
Water Balance Positive water balance, process water,

seepage water, and contact water must be treated to be released
Disadvantage
Fatal Flaw
Favorable
Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Steep or flat
High degree of care
Seismicity
Dry or wet
Climate
Dry or wet
Large footprint
Space
Small(er) footprint
Large portion of
Plentiful
excess
water is
stored in tailing
Time needed
void
space
Large footprint
Geochemistry
Small(er) footprint
V
E
Higher
Water Balance
Water
Balance
Closure
Filtered water
has toLimited
be stored
at site or treated
Quick/easy
and
released
Lower
N
A
Difficult
Permitting
Easier
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
I
L
E
D
Central Europe


Steep topography
Moderate seismicity
Storage space is constrained
Production planned at 13.1 Mtpa
Tailing seepage and runoff from tailing
are expected to have CN above
discharge standards
Therefore, water treatment for CN
required prior to discharge
Currently thickening to 55%.

Evaluated:
paste
filtered
Neutral
Disadvantage
Water Balance Positive water balance, process water,
Fatal Flaw
seepage water, and contact water must be treated to be released
Favorable
C
O
N
Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Steep or flat
High degree of care
Seismicity
Dry or wet
Climate
Dry or wet
Large footprint
Space
Filtered water
has toLimited
be stored
at site or treated
andQuick/easy
released.
Would required
High separate
fines/high plasticity
treatment plant
Small(er) footprint
for CN.
Discharge
Lower
standards are
Easier
very restrictive
Large portion of
excess
water is
Plentiful
stored in tailing
Time neededLarge
void space.
pond areas for
High
& low fines/plasticity
storage
of 2 PMFs
Large footprint
Geochemistry
V
E
N
Higher
Water
Water Balance
Balance
Closure
N
A
Difficult
Permitting
Small(er) footprint
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
F
I
L
T
E
R
E
D
Neutral
Gradation & Plasticity Fine grind

ore contains high clay content
Disadvantage
Fatal Flaw
Favorable
Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Steep or flat
High degree of care
Seismicity
Dry or wet
Climate
Dry or wet
Large footprint
Space
Small(er) footprint
Plentiful
Water Balance
Limited
Time needed
Closure
V
E
N
T
I
O
Low density, slow

High & low
fines/plasticity
beach
development, low
Large footprint
strength beach
Higher
Gradation
&Plasticity
Plasticity
Gradation &
Geochemistry
Difficult to filter
due Quick/easy
to high clay
content, requires
cyclone pretreatment
and wet
Small(er) footprint
storage for overflow
Lower
N
A
Difficult
Permitting
Easier
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
F
I
L
T
E
R
E
D
Implications of Failure High, local

residences, directly downstream of facility
Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Steep or flat
High degree of care
Seismicity
Dry or wet
Climate
Dry or wet
Large footprint
Space
Small(er) footprint
Plentiful
Water Balance
Limited
Time needed
Closure
Quick/easy
Large footprint
Still
requires
Small(er)
footprintwet
disposal of
Lower
cyclone
overflow
which requires
Easier
D/S construction
High impact
Higher with
associated
tailing release
Geochemistry
N
A
I
L
E
N
Difficult
Implications of
Implications
ofFailure
Failure
Permitting
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
E
D
Neutral
Permitting Based on recent experience,

both could be permitted
Disadvantage
Fatal Flaw
Favorable
Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Steep or flat
High degree of care
Seismicity
Dry or wet
Climate
Dry or wet
Large footprint
Space
Small(er) footprint
Plentiful
Water Balance
Limited
Time needed
Closure
Quick/easy
Large footprint
Geochemistry
Small(er) footprint
O
N
A
L
I
L
E
N
Higher
Initial permits
were approved
for
Difficult
wet storage
concept
Less
Cost
Permitting
Permitting
Adjacent Land Use
Lower
Could be easier to D
permit
due to
Easier
lower volume of
wet storage
More
Neutral
Adjacent Land Use Grazing of cattle

and some home construction
Disadvantage
Fatal Flaw
Favorable
Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Steep or flat
High degree of care
Seismicity
Dry or wet
Climate
Dry or wet
Large footprint
Space
Small(er) footprint
Plentiful
Water Balance
Limited
Time needed
Closure
Quick/easy
Large footprint
Geochemistry
Small(er) footprint
Higher
Lower
N
A
L
I
L
E
N
Difficult
Permitting
Easier
Acceptable based
on initial
submission
Adjacent Land
Adjacent
LandUse
Use
Could be
considered to be
more favorable
Less
Cost
More
E
D
Central America


Moderate to steep topography
High seismicity
Storage space is constrained
Production is ~1.5 Mtpa
Existing facility at capacity

Additional capacity required
Filtered facility the primary alternative
Permitting
Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Steep or flat
High degree of care
Seismicity
Dry or wet
Climate
Dry or wet
Large footprint
Space
Small(er) footprint
Plentiful
Water Balance
Limited
F
I
L
E
Time needed
Closure
Quick/easy
Large footprint
Geochemistry
Small(er) footprint
O
N
A
Higher
Not possible to
Difficult
permit
Permitting
Permitting
Lower
Possible
to permit
Easier
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
E
D
Range of Sites to be Considered:

Western Europe

Wet site
Flat topography
Moderate seismicity
Storage space is very constrained
High land value
Existing facility at capacity

Considered filtering for new production
as well as reprocessing of exiting
tailing
Neutral
Space No expansion space, high value

property
Disadvantage
Fatal Flaw
Favorable
Steep or valley
Topography
Topography
Steep or flat
High degree of care
Seismicity
Dry or wet
Climate
Large facility with

Large footprint
low density
tailing
Space
Space
Plentiful
Water Balance
Small footprint,
high
density,
Small(er)
footprint
efficient use of
space
Limited
Time needed
Closure
Quick/easy
Large footprint
Geochemistry
Small(er) footprint
Dry or wet
Higher
Lower
N
A
I
L
E
N
Difficult
Permitting
Easier
Adjacent Land Use
L
Less
Cost
More
E
D
As an industry, we need to know more.

The mining industry needs a broader set of project

evaluations and better benchmarking data.
For each methodology, we need to understand:
What slopes can we achieve?
What seepage will result?
How will the paste, thickened or filtered tailing material behave during an
earthquake?
MWH, in cooperation with Paterson & Cooke, have an initiative to

answer these questions. We need your help!
Conclusions

Water management is key to controlling risks for tailing facilities.

A tailing stewardship program is required for all tailing facilities (large
and small).
Alternative tailing disposal methods (thickened, paste and filtered) is
one way to reduce the water content of tailing and reduce the risks of
failure during and after operations.
Site and project characteristics have to be amenable to the
implementation of ATD methods.
Wet storage with appropriate dam design may still be the most cost
effective storage method.
A high level screening process can be used to identify fatal flaws and
advantages and dis-advantages to determine if further evaluation is
required.
So why isnt everyone doing it?

High cost.
Equipment performance has not kept up with the increase in
production rates.
There are still many questions to be answered.
Call to Action

We do not have depth or breadth of project experience that helps

refine/improve the ATD evaluation process.
We call on mining companies to share their learnings
and data to contribute to benchmarking for the
industry.

Andrew Watson

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Selection of the Best Alternative

September 14, 2011

Conventional Tailing Disposal

Thickened Tailing Disposal

Paste Tailing Disposal

Filtered Dry Stack Tailing Disposal

The Benefits of ATD

Define Alternative Tailing Disposal (ATD)

Understand why we consider Alternative Tailing Disposal (ATD).

Understand how to decide on an disposal method.

Discuss the challenges and unanswered questions.

Conclusions and a call to action.

Why we consider ATD: Water Savings

Water Recovery (%)

Water Recovery by Tailings Type

Why we consider ATD: Risk Reduction

Why we consider ATD: Risk Reduction*

Why we consider ATD: Space Limitation

space over conventional

Why we consider ATD:

Yield Stress (Pa)

The higher yield stress prevents

Its All About Water and Risk Reduction

Many miners, regulators, and

Define Alternative Tailing Disposal (ATD)

Understand why we consider Alternative Tailing Disposal (ATD).

Understand how to decide on an disposal method.

Discuss the challenges and unanswered questions.

Conclusions and a call to action.

Screening Options for Tailing Disposal

Fatal Flaw Analysis

Requirements for Tailing Disposal

Key Criteria for

Fatal Flaw Screening

High degree of care

Medium degree of care

High & low fines/plasticity

Gradation & Plasticity

High fines/high plasticity

Adjacent Land Use

Range of Global Sites to be Considered

Wet site (rainfall exceeds evaporation)

Currently thickening to 55% .

Topography Steep, rugged, valley

Very steep valley,

Suitable for dry

High & low fines/plasticity

Gradation & Plasticity

High fines/high plasticity

Adjacent Land Use

High & low fines/plasticity

Gradation & Plasticity

High fines/high plasticity

Adjacent Land Use

Climate Defined wet and dry season,

High & low fines/plasticity

Gradation & Plasticity

High fines/high plasticity

Adjacent Land Use

Space Very tight property boundary

High degree of care

Medium degree of care

Large facility with