Bulyanhulu Mine (Tanzania) Paste Tailings Facility: Relating the unsaturated properties of gold tailings to rate of rise

Theron, Michelle; Addis, Philip; Wates, John; Martín, Violeta

doi:10.36487/acg_repo/563_15

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…This supports the idea that paste tailing disposals can be an environmentally safe alternative that reduces the release of leachate or polluting runoff. In contrast, in northern Tanzania, the Bulyanhulu mine, an underground gold mine, has implemented a total system of tailing disposal as a paste (25% used underground as blended and 75% being disposed on the surface) [62,63]. This system is dominated by pyrite as the most abundant sulfide mineral with lower amounts of chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and arsenopyrite [64].…”

Section: Electrical Conductivity and Ph Time-seriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Real-Time Electrical Conductivity Monitoring and Correlation with Sulfate Release and Acid Mine Drainage Potential from a Gold/Silver Paste Tailing Storage

2021

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Safe disposal of tailings as high-density thickened tailings or paste tailings can reduce the environmental risks of conventional tailings deposits, reduce water use, minimize tailings storage facility footprints, reduce the potential for acid mine drainage (AMD), and minimize risks of failure, among other advantages. In the dewatering process, the addition of flocculants is key to improving the sedimentation of the tailings and the formation of a compact paste. Despite the environmental and operational advantages of using paste tailings, it is not clear how the chemical nature of coagulants and flocculants could influence the discharge of toxic elements (salts and metals) from tailings after storage. In this study, we show the results of the real-time evaluation of the release of polluting runoffs from a paste tailings deposit. To do this, we analyzed paste tailing samples for AMD potential through static and kinetic tests and monitored the electrical conductivity and real-time pH, evaluating the correlation with the sulfate in the thickener and downstream from the tailings deposit. Tailing samples have low sulfur content (<2%) and low acid-generating potential. Moreover, there is no evidence of a significant positive correlation (Pearson’s coefficient r < 0.8) between the sulfate concentrations with the pH or EC. Thus, the chemical nature of the paste tailings prior to discharge has no direct impact on the release of sulfate-rich runoffs from the tailings after its storage. This indicates that the tailings paste at the evaluated site is chemically stable in the short term.

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Section: Electrical Conductivity and Ph Time-seriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Real-Time Electrical Conductivity Monitoring and Correlation with Sulfate Release and Acid Mine Drainage Potential from a Gold/Silver Paste Tailing Storage

2021

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“…It is interesting to analyse the field density results in the tailings impoundment of Bulyanhulu (Theron et al, 2005). This mine produces 65000 tpm that discharges its tailings as paste with a solids content between 73% and 79%.…”

Section: Deposition Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Stability of Tailings Beach Slopes

Barrera¹,

Riveros²

2006

Proceedings of the Ninth International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings

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“…S.E., 2005). This technique is already used at the Bulyanhulu gold mine (Tanzania), where tailings are densified, pumped, and deposited as a paste in thin layers (Theriault et al, 2003;Shuttleworth and Thomson, 2005;Theron et al, 2005;McMullen et al, 2005). In this particular case, no binder is added to the paste tailings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Laboratory Study of the Hydro-Geochemical Behaviour of Paste Tailings Disposal

Deschamps¹,

Benzaazoua²,

Bussière³

et al. 2006

Proceedings of the Ninth International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings

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Bulyanhulu Mine (Tanzania) Paste Tailings Facility: Relating the unsaturated properties of gold tailings to rate of rise

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Real-Time Electrical Conductivity Monitoring and Correlation with Sulfate Release and Acid Mine Drainage Potential from a Gold/Silver Paste Tailing Storage

Real-Time Electrical Conductivity Monitoring and Correlation with Sulfate Release and Acid Mine Drainage Potential from a Gold/Silver Paste Tailing Storage

Stability of Tailings Beach Slopes

A Laboratory Study of the Hydro-Geochemical Behaviour of Paste Tailings Disposal

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