Mining in focus
Tailings dam technology:
learning from failure (Part 1)
Water security makes tailings dam technology a key hurdle
for South Africa’s mining growth, writes Adriaan Meintjes.
S
outh African mines are quickly beginning
to realise that key decisions on new
mining projects or expansions simply
cannot be made until the question of water
security is resolved. This puts the focus squarely
on tailings storage facilities (TSFs), which is
the largest consumer of water on most mines.
In water-scarce countries like South Africa,
it is increasingly becoming necessary to direct
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our work towards the management of water as
a scarce natural resource for security at mine
level. Indeed, our efforts to help mining clients
become ‘water wise’ have included technical
studies, advice, and even enabling technologies
— all contributing to greater water security.
It is therefore no surprise to us that, in
recent years, our clients have engaged us at the
initial stages of project conceptualisation and
design, to help optimise the tailings dams with
water security in mind.
Saving water from mine tailings
Water consumption on a tailings dam is a
function of the interstitial storage (water
held between the solid particles of fines),
evaporation, and seepage. The relative
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