Closing the loop on iron ore tailings: a case study on value recovery, water reticulation and tailings storage facility footprint
|
Authors: Roux, RN; Lötter , PF Open access courtesy of:
|
DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2655_11
Cite As:
Roux, RN & Lötter , PF 2026, 'Closing the loop on iron ore tailings: a case study on value recovery, water reticulation and tailings storage facility footprint ', in AB Fourie, M Horta, M Oliveira & S Wilson (eds), Paste 2026: Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Paste, Thickened and Filtered Tailings, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-13, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2655_11
Abstract:
Iron ore is a bulk commodity and a major contributor to tailings. Historically, mine owners could prioritise the recovery of high-grade material leading to the deposition of tailings that can now be considered as economically recoverable. This case study examines such an opportunity at a mine in an arid region of South Africa that adopted an environmental, social and governance (ESG)-driven approach to tailings. In addition to pursuing value recovery during tailings reprocessing, alternative water recovery options were tested to assess the feasibility of transitioning to a water-efficient tailings storage facility. Laboratory and pilot-scale test work evaluated several dewatering options with pressure filtration appearing most promising yet ultimately delivering questionable benefits. The potential ESG gains from tailings reprocessing were explored (e.g. tailings volume reduction via iron recovery) alongside the practical technical and economic barriers. One of the major outcomes is that pressure filtration achieved ≈86% m/m (solids or ≈14 wt% moisture). At this moisture level, the cake remained ‘sticky’, and the flow moisture point (±12.5 wt% moisture) and the transportable moisture limit (TML) (±11.3 wt% moisture) were not achieved. Based on the material properties, the inability of pressure filtration to achieve the TML complicates material handling and ultimately the tailings transportation and final placement. A trade-off between this complexity and the additional water recovery should be closely considered on a case-by-case basis.
Keywords: dewatering, paste, filtration, tailings, ESG, transportable moisture limit, flow moisture point
References:
BHP Rio Tinto 2024, Filtered Stacked Tailings A Guide for Study Managers, 1st edition, BHP Rio Tinto Tailings Management Consortium.
Cacciuttolo, C & Atencio, E 2022, ‘An alternative technology to obtain dewatered mine tailings: safe and control environmental management of filtered and thickened copper mine tailings in Chile’, Minerals, vol. 12, no. 10,
Cramer, LA, Basson, J & Nelson, LR 2004, ‘The impact of platinum production from UG2 ore on ferrochrome production in South Africa’, The Journal of The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, vol. 104, pp. 517–527.
Davies, MD 2011, ‘Filtered dry stacked tailings-the fundamentals’, Proceedings Tailings and Mine Waste, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver,
EY 2023, Top 10 Business Risks and Opportunities for Mining and Metals in 2024, viewed 11 October 2025,
Fiscor, S 2015, ‘Vale launches third wave’, E&MJ Engineering and Mining Journal, Jacksonville, viewed 11 October 2025
Holmes, RJ, Lu, Y & Lu, L 2022, ‘Introduction: overview of the global iron ore industry’, in L Lu (ed.), Iron Ore: Mineralogy, Processing and Environmental Sustainability, 2nd edition, Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, pp. 1–56.
Meneses, B, Llano-Serna, M, Dressel, W, Coffey, JP & Gerritsen, T 2024, ‘A geotechnically derived screening method to assess the filterability of tailings’, in AB Fourie & D Reid (eds), Paste 2024: Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Paste, Thickened and Filtered Tailings, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 115–128,
Prasad, J 2024, ‘Finding better ways to manage tailings risk’, MIT Global Summit on Mine Tailings Innovation, Cambridge.
Republic of South Africa 2026, Geography and Climate, 20relatively,generally%20a%20summer%2Drainfall%20region
Roux, JI 2025, Developing a Filtered Stack Tailings Evaluation Framework: A South African Perspective, Masters dissertation, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch.
Simms, P 2023, ‘Unsaturated soil behaviour in thickened and filtered tailings’, in GW Wilson, NA Beier, DC Sego, AB Fourie & D Reid (eds), Paste 2023: Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Paste, Thickened and Filtered Tailings, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 663–675,
Vietti, AJ 2025, ‘The RhoVie™ Slack Screen Densifier: a novel primary dewatering process for fine, high-clay-containing tailings’, in AB Fourie, A Copeland, V Daigle & C MacRobert (eds), Paste 2025: Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Paste, Thickened and Filtered Tailings, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 541–548,
Vietti, AJ & Van der Linde, C 2024, ‘A model for understanding dispersive clay behaviour for tailings solid/liquid separation applications’, Physical Separation ’24, MEI Conferences, Cornwall,
Wang, C, Harbottle, D, Liu, Q, & Xu, Z 2014, ‘Current state of fine mineral tailings treatment: a critical review on theory and practice’, Minerals Engineering, vol. 58, pp. 113–131,
© Copyright 2026, Australian Centre for Geomechanics (ACG), The University of Western Australia. All rights reserved.
View copyright/legal information
Please direct any queries or error reports to repository-acg@uwa.edu.au
View copyright/legal information
Please direct any queries or error reports to repository-acg@uwa.edu.au