Jane Hodgkinson | CSIRO Mineral Resources
Theme: Step changes in the characterization, extraction and processing of material in the production of tailings volume
Project title: Characterising and Mapping Tailings: the New Potential Resource
Research team:
Offering to sponsors:
Sponsors will be provided with access to the research results, including:
- A detailed resource map of their tailings dam
- A report outlining the potential value of the resources contained in the dam
- A proposed strategy or strategies for improved dewatering (developed in conjunction with the mine operator)
- A proposed strategy or strategies for reducing the dam volume.
Summary:
The project will employ advanced technologies—integrated optical and SEM microscopy, along with field-deployable instruments such as laser induced breakdown spectroscopy—and widely available laboratory and exploration methods to obtain quantitative detail (size and abundance) of tailings dam components to thus re-characterise the tailings dam as a new potential resource.
The project will perform a case study on a tailings dam from a commodity such as coking coal, iron ore, or gold. The project team will sample, plot and map the body and identify potential products of significant value.
The project will target and analyse a range of cored samples selected from varying depths of the case study tailings dam, producing a ‘resource map’ and preliminary economic evaluation.
Benefit to industry:
Economic
- Characterisation will provide a pathway for developing necessary processes to recover valuable product from tailings
- Benefits from new knowledge of tailings constituents with the potential to be developed as a new resource/product
- Benefit from new knowledge that can inform more efficient and effective dewatering strategies and the development of advanced mineral processing methods
- Benefits either through market sales or by reducing overhead of tailings management
Recordings of each submission are available to Members only. Please click on the link below to request access to the recordings and nomination form.