Reutilization, recycling and reprocessing of mine tailings, considering economic, technical, environmental and social features, a review

Juan Carlos Diaz Martinez

Research output: ThesisMaster's Thesis

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Abstract

Production of waste is one of the fundamental environmental concerns for present and future generations. It is considered an important global target. Mining industry generates extensive quantities of waste materials from ore extraction and processing plants, which accumulate in tailings and open impoundments. In 2016, Approximately 30 billion tonnes of solid mine waste were produced worldwide and more than 7.5 billion of these tonnes were considered mine tailings. The risks associated with mine tailings dams have different nature, namely air and soil pollution, surface and groundwater contamination by acid mine drainage (AMD) and precipitation of heavy metals. In fact, failures of tailings dams have occurred, resulting in catastrophic and irreparable environmental and economic consequences. The need for a comprehensive framework for mine tailings management that promotes sustainable development is an important challenge facing mining companies, governments, environmental agencies and other stakeholders. This research addressed this gap by collecting, analyzing and identifying different methods that allow mine tailings dam reutilization, recycling and reprocessing from sustainability perspective, considering economic, technical, environmental, and social characteristics.
Translated title of the contributionWiederverwendung, Recycling und Wiederaufbereitung von Aufbereitungsabgängen unter Berücksichtigung von wirtschaftlichen, technischen, umweltrelevanten und sozialen Aspekten: ein Überblick
Original languageEnglish
QualificationDipl.-Ing.
Awarding Institution
  • Montanuniversität
Supervisors/Advisors
  • Hartlieb, Philipp, Supervisor (internal)
Award date28 Jun 2019
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Bibliographical note

embargoed until null

Keywords

  • Mine tailings management
  • sustainable development
  • mining waste global production
  • legal framework

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