Current state of fine mineral tailings treatment: A critical review on theory and practice

• Published in: Minerals engineering Vol. 58; pp. 113 - 131
• Main Authors: Wang, Chen, Harbottle, David, Liu, Qingxia, Xu, Zhenghe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2014
• Subjects: Demand; Dewatering; Enrichment; Flocculation; Fluid dynamics; Fluid flow; Fluids; Hydrometallurgy; Mineral tailings; Minerals; Mining; Oil sands; Sedimentation; Tailings; Mineral tailings; Oil sands; Dewatering; Sedimentation; Flocculation; Hydrometallurgy
• ISSN: 0892-6875; 1872-9444
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mineng.2014.01.018

Evolution of fine mineral tailings treatment objectives. Figures “Flocculated solids” and “Dry cake with clear filtrate” are adopted from Alamgir et al. (2012), with permission. The last figure “Reclaimed land” is adopted from Golder Associates (2009) with permission. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier. [Display omitted] •Presented facts on escalating generation of fine mineral tailings worldwide.•Overview of coal, alumina, oil sands, and base metals tailings characteristics.•Reviewed theoretical and industrial developments for tailings management.•Determined numerous knowledge gaps between current theories and practices.•Identified opportunities for improvement towards more sustainable practices. The mining industry produces fluid fine mineral tailings on the order of millions of tonnes each year, with billions of tonnes already stored globally. This trend is expected to escalate as demand for mineral products continues to grow with increasingly lower grade ores being more commonly exploited by hydrometallurgy. Ubiquitous presence and enrichment of fine solids such as silt and clays in fluid fine mineral tailings prevent efficient solid–liquid separation and timely re-use of valuable process water. Long-term storage of such fluid waste materials not only incurs a huge operating cost, but also creates substantial environmental liabilities of tailings ponds for mining operators. This review broadly examines current theoretical understandings and prevalent industrial practices on treating fine mineral tailings for greater water recovery and reduced environmental footprint of mining operations.