Tailings Waste Minimisation, Rheology, and the Triple Bottom Line
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Authors: Hart, B; Boger, DV Paper is not available for download Contact Us |
DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/563_1
Cite As:
Hart, B & Boger, DV 2005, 'Tailings Waste Minimisation, Rheology, and the Triple Bottom Line', in R Jewell & S Barrera (eds), Paste 2005: Proceedings of the International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 5-27, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/563_1
Abstract:
The minerals industry is very upbeat about sustainable development. Many companies have sustainability managers. Unfortunately most of their effort in sustainable practice is directed towards the social and stakeholder interaction in the community. Very little effort is being made to apply sustainability practices to management of liquid waste tailings. Even though technology exists now to move from wet to dry disposal technologies, the industry still insists on building tradi- tional dams that defer the costs associated with dealing with waste until some time in the future when the company is often able to escape the liability. The paper is a plea to those who have to deal with waste management issues on a day-to-day basis to communicate with those in the corporate structure who are responsible for sustainability issues. New projects worldwide will have a greater difficulty in being approved if the industry does not, to a large extent, improve its performance in regard to the management of particulate fluid wastes. The paper presents some positive and negative examples of sustainable behaviour associ- ated with tailings and concludes by summarising the rheological technology which is available today to deal with suspensions at a high concentration, which in fact is where the industry must move if it is going to recover more water and effect more sustainable practices. 6 Paste 2005, Santiago, Chile Tailings Waste Minimisation... Hart, B. and Boger, D.V.
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