When historically under-regulated tailings facilities (by today’s standards) can be reprocessed to extract residual minerals and then re-built to today’s modern codes, following international best practices, the value to the nearby communities can be substantial. For companies, balance-sheet liabilities are turned into cash-generating assets. For neighbouring communities, there can be both employment opportunities and environmental benefits from the new physical and chemical stability of the impoundments.
SRK has performed a multidisciplinary characterisation on a pair of active and inactive tailing storage facilities to support a cost-benefit evaluation of reprocessing the tailings. This involved assembling a comprehensive workplan for the intensive sampling and laboratory test work. The geological and metallurgical sampling was integrated along with geotechnical and geochemical investigations.
If properly implemented, significant cost savings can be realised by assimilating the geotechnical, geochemical, and geological (re-processing) components into a single field investigation programme. Installation of wells and piezometers into completed boreholes further enables long term monitoring with a minimal cost increase.
A favourable feasibility study for the recovery of minerals from historically placed mine tailings can be a key driver for turning these financial and environmental liabilities into assets that may eventually pay for their reprocessing and more.
