Mining Geotechnique Webinar
Alternatives to Conventional Slurry for Tailings Management in Canada - When can we use them? by Kate Patterson, P.E., P.Eng., M.Eng., Associate, Tailings and Water, Resources Engineer, Klohn Crippen Berger
Date: May 11, 2022
Time: 12:00-12:45 PM Pacific Time
Location: Zoom Meeting ID: 940 1070 9706 Passcode: 239487
Abstract: Tailings facilities pose both physical and geochemical risks that must be managed throughout the life of the facility, from design and construction, through to the closure of the mine and beyond In Canada, most mines manage their tailings as a slurry deposited behind containment dams (“conventional tailings facilities”) In the wake of small and large scale tailings facility failures, the risks posed by conventional tailings facilities are increasingly being scrutinized and alternatives being considered.
The Mine Environment Neutral Drainage ( Program commissioned a study in 2015 to examine and compare alternatives to conventional tailings slurry storage facilities for the management of tailings (eg thickened, paste and filtered tailings) with a focus on applications in Canada A conclusion from the study is there is not one universally best way to manage tailings The preferred technology and facility type for a given project will be specific to the tailings properties, production scale, site characteristics, available technologies and facility types and social and regulatory considerations This presentation will review the conclusions of the study ( limitations, and physical and environmental risks of these alternative technologies compared to those of conventional slurry) and provide an update to the summary of projects implementing alternative tailings technologies in Canada since 2015.
Speaker: Kate Patterson is a senior Civil Engineer and Associate at KCB with over 15 years of experience in mine waste management with a focus in tailings and water strategic planning, risk assessments and risk informed design She is based in Vancouver with Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd but her work has taken her to projects all over the world, including Canada, US,
Mexico, Central America, Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea She has worked on all aspects of mine environment and water resource projects, from baseline environmental studies to geotechnical/environmental design, impact assessment/mitigation and closure.
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