Robertson, A 2009, 'Tailings Management to Optimise Water Losses', in R Jewell, AB Fourie, S Barrera & J Wiertz (eds), Paste 2009: Proceedings of the Twelfth International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 139-139, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/963_16
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/963_16_Robertson/)
Abstract: The reduction of the water content of a tailings slurry may be referred to as ‘dewatering’ or ‘water removal’ 
as is done when water is separated by mechanical means such as thickening or the production of paste 
tailings, or as ‘water loss’, when natural processes of drying, seepage and entrainment remove water.  Often 
the context is such that water removed by dewatering or water removal is available for re-use and water lost 
is not.  Optimisation of water losses from tailings may involve either a minimisation of water losses, as may 
be desirable in areas where water is scarce, or maximisation of losses, such as may be an advantage when a 
dryer tailings product is more stable, allowing stacking and reducing the long term need for containment in 
a dam.  A review is made of methods for water removal and methods for both maximising and minimising 
water losses. Illustrations are provided of tailings management systems in which both water removal and 
management of water losses are practiced in order to meet differing objectives of water recovery and 
development of stable tailings deposits.  The factors that influence the efficiency and effectiveness of both 
water removal and losses are discussed, including clay content of tailings, placement management methods 
and the influence of climate from hot deserts to frigid tundra (evaporation, desiccation and ice 
entrainment).  Some examples are provided of typical water losses achieved for different tailings types, 
different dewatering methods and different tailings distribution and management methods.  A review is made 
of some of the issues that may arise with different tailings management systems ranging from mechanically 
dewatered (dry) and placed tailings, through partially dewatered (paste) tailings to evaporation dried 
stacked tailings to slurry deposits. 
 
Approval to publish this paper was not received prior to these proceedings going to print. This paper will be 
made available on the Internet on the ACG website, www.acg.uwa.edu.au, and at the following URL: 
http://www.infomine.com/publications/docs/TailingsOptimisation2009.pdf 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Paste 2009, Viña del Mar, Chile 139