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CODISPOSAL. Presented by Mike Gowan Principal. DEFINITION. In mining and mineral processing, materials are separated according to their particle size and mineralogy The wastes produced fall into Coarse-grained (waste/rejects); & Fine-grained (tailings)
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CODISPOSAL Presented by Mike Gowan Principal
DEFINITION • In mining and mineral processing, materials are separated according to their particle size and mineralogy • The wastes produced fall into • Coarse-grained (waste/rejects); & • Fine-grained (tailings) • Conventionally disposed of separately Co-disposal involves the combining of these waste streams
MINE WASTES -1 • Tailings - rock flour resulting from the crushing and or grinding of mine ore - <1mm • Rejects - washery waste resulting from the processing of coal - >1 to 120 mm • Spoil/Waste - rock separated in the mining process and not processed - 0 to >1 m
CODISPOSAL WITH MINING PRODUCTS • Tailings disposed as a slurry has a high porosity (>40%), with water-filled voids. • Rejects/waste has a high porosity (>30%), with largely air-filled voids. Codisposal - some of the tailings can be made to settle in the voids in the coarse waste.
CONCRETE - IDEAL CODISPOSAL • Aggregate, sand, cement & water mixed together • No air voids • Coarse aggregate suspended in fines mixture Aggregate Sand/Cement
CONCRETE - IDEAL CODISPOSAL MODEL • Using concrete as the model: • Products need to be: • Nearly dry • Well mixed before placement • Minimum water added • Coarse:fine ratio not critical • Low energy placement to reduce risk of segregation
IDEAL CODISPOSAL • Tailings needs to be dewatered to paste or cake • Tailings and rejects need to be mixed together • Mixture then pumped, trucked or conveyed to disposal • Expensive operations, dictated by circumstances
MIXED CODISPOSAL • Used successfully: • Wollongong by BHP • Westcliff coal mine • Trialled at Dartbrook
CODISPOSAL • Co-mingling • Co-placement • Co-disposal
CO-MINGLING • The coarse and fine products are transported separately and allowed to mix together within the disposal site after deposition. • An example of this the dumping of rock and the deposition of tailings at Kidston Gold Mine.
CO-PLACEMENT • The coarse and fine products are transported separately and mixed together just prior to or on placement in the disposal site. • An example of this is the mixing of slimes and tailings used at the Argyle Diamond Mine.
CO-DISPOSAL • Coarse and fine waste products are mixed together before they are transported to the disposal site. • An example of this is the pumped codisposal practice carried out in Australian coal mines.
CO-MINGLING at KIDSTON • AIM – to fill a pit and produce a stable landform at closure • Materials available tailings and waste rock • Reviewed many codisposal systems: • Autogenous mixing • Active mixing • Winrowing • Tailings cells • Selected co-mingling • Other systems too costly
AUTOGENOUS MIXING Tailings Discharge
ACTIVE MIXING Tailings Discharge
WINROWING - 1 Tailings Deposition
WINROWING - 2 Tailings filling between Windrows Tailings Spigot Pipeline Tailings/Waste Windrows
TAILINGS CELLS - 1 Waste cells Tailings deposition
TAILINGS CELLS - 2 Waste Cell Tailings Waste cover/mixture Mixed Tailings/Waste
KIDSTON DETAILS Thickened tailings deposited into pit pond Waste rock end-dumped into pit
VIEW OF KIDSTON PIT Thickened tailings Waste Eventually Waste extended over Tailings to produce a Closure Cover
CO-PLACEMENT-ARGYLE • Problem – very fine slimes that would not settle • Solution – mix the two materials • Slimes & Tailings mixed at disposal area • Slimes pumped • Tailings conveyed
NE USA Mixing Rejects & Dewatered Tailings Placing and Spreading
DEVELOPMENT OF CODISPOSAL • Tried in • The UK in 1960’s • South Africa in 1980’s • Tailings slurry spread over layer of rejects • Penetration up to 300 mm • Costly to operate • Thin layers of rejects • Moving tailings pipeline • Spreading tailings
AUSTRALIAN TRIALS • Tested placing rejects over tailings • Some penetration of rejects • Problems: • Development of Bow-wave • Slow advancement rate
REJECTS INTO & OVER TAILINGS Bow-wave
CODISPOSAL IN AUSTRALIA • Confined to Coal Mines • Idea developed at Jeepropilly • Now used at: • Hail Creek • Kestrel • North Goonyella • Mooranbah • Coppabella • Moorevale • Stratford • Others???
COAL CODISPOSAL - 1 • Tailings & Reject mixed at CHPP • Pumped to disposal site • Slurry solids 27 to 35% • Flow velocities 2.7 to +4 m/sec • Single point full pipe discharge • Clean water recovery
LIMITATIONS OF CODISPOSAL • 3 Stage pumping reaches ~2 km • Steel pipe for high heads • High pipe wear • Limited tailings encapsulation
TYPICAL CODISPOSAL BEACH Rejects only Beach Well Mixed Codisposal & Encapsulated Tailings
COAL CODISPOSAL BEACH Codisposal beach Tailings beach Decant Pond
ADVANTAGES OF CODISPOSAL • Pumping lower cost than trucking • No transport fleet required • Stable landform made by beach • Tailings contained by beach • High water return
TRAFFICABLE BEACH Generally cannot drive easily over rejects, but can over upper codisposal beach
STABLE CODISPOSAL – Despite Wall Failure Stable Codisposal Wall Clay starter- wall failure
BEARING CAPACITY LIMITATIONS Codisposal beach Tailings
SUMMARY • Codisposal difficult but not impossible in metalliferous mines • Codisposal works for coal mines • There is a tailings pond that needs to be managed • Water losses are no higher than for separate reject:tailings disposal systems
ACKNOLEDGEMENTS • The many mines mentioned • Assoc. Prof. David Williams of The U of Q