Sustainable Mining Test Bed
Dewatering, Deposition, and Valorization of Tailings
Development Area: Sustainable Mining / Water Efficiency
- Problem
Mining faces critical gaps in the management of dewatered tailings:absence of pilot infrastructure to validate technologies, lack of reliable technical data on the performance of dewatering circuits, lack of operational evidence in deposition, regulatory vacuum, and fragmented studies without a comprehensive approach.
- Solution
Implementation of a modular and mobile pilot plant composed of dewatering, deposition, and valorization areas, which allows validating technologies under real mine site conditions. The platform provides technical, geotechnical, environmental, and economic information for pre-feasibility and industrial feasibility studies , also promoting the generation of specific regulations for safe and sustainable implementation.
- Expected Impact
- Generation of reliable and customized data as direct input for pre-feasibility and industrial feasibility studies.
- Increased water recirculation in mining processes, reducing water consumption and improving operational efficiency.
- More stable tailings deposits with lower environmental risk, strengthening safety and sustainability.
- Boost to specific regulations for low-moisture tailings, recognizing their benefits in safety, sustainability, and efficiency.
- Test Bed Services
- Pilot testing of dewatering circuits and complementary or alternative technologies for tailings filtration.
- Operational validation of disposal, monitoring, and remediation techniques for low-moisture tailings.
- Supplier benchmarking and optimization of operational parameters.
- Generation of technical information for pre-feasibility and industrial feasibility studies.
- Evaluation of valorization alternatives: secondary mining, new materials, and industrial applications.
- Support in the development of technical standards for low-moisture tailings.
- Benefits for Associates
- Preferred access to customized technical data to reduce investment risks.
- Participation in the governance of the test bed.
- Preferential rates for test bed services.
- Participation in the definition of regulatory standards that will impact the entire industry.
- Progress Status
- Initiative at the pre-investment stage.
- Development Area
Sustainable Mining
Water Efficiency