From Linda Hinshaw of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University here is news of some of the research underway in the department.
Shear strength of mixed tailings and waste rock for use in water-balance covers: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of tailings composition and mixture ratio on the shear strength of mixed tailings and waste rock. On-going research is focused on the effect of tailings composition for mixtures created such that tailings fill the void space within a loosely-prepared waste rock specimen. This configuration is hypothesized to have sufficient shear strength for deployment on final cover system slopes while providing the necessary moisture retention capacity to function as an effective water-balance cover. An MS student is working on this project and is on-track to graduate in the summer of 2014.
Assessment of predictive methods for tailings dam breach analysis: The objective of this study is to evaluate the applicability of commercially available predictive tools for simulating and ultimately predicting tailings runout behavior following a dam breach. Although different empirical, analytical, and numerical predictive tools are available to predict tailings runout behavior following and dam breach, there is little guidance on selecting and parameterizing the available models. The research conducted for this project will yield a comparative assessment of available predictive methods via simulating tailings dam failure case studies and evaluating performance between the available models. An MS student is working on this project and is on-track to graduate in December 2014.
Reuse of mine waste amended with fly ash in transportation-related earthwork projects: The objective of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of creating a sustainable geo-material for transportation-related earthwork projects that is a composite of tailings, waste rock, and fly ash. This potential geo-material would provide additional end-state uses for materials commonly viewed as wastes. This is collaborative project through the Mountain Plains Consortium, which is a U.S. Department of Transportation supported network of universities that includes CSU. Integrating tailings and mine waste related research with current needs in the transportation industry will help establish new avenues for reuse of mine waste materials. A graduate student is currently completing an MS on a soil characterization aspect to this project and will continue on with the project in pursuit of a PhD.
These are all important topics and worthy of further study. We wish the students rapid advance and look forward to the publications.
Note also that Linda is the driving force behind the upcoming conference Tailings and Mine Waste 2014. She write this about the conference:
The Tailings and Mine Waste Conference is the premier international venue for advancing the state of the art in technical challenges facing the mining industry. Starting in the late 1970s with a short course on Mill Tailings Management and initiation of annual symposiums on Uranium Mill Tailings management in 1978, this conference evolved with changes in the mining industry into the Tailings and Mine Waste conference. Starting in 2008, the conference expanded to an international consortium of key universities, with the conference location rotating between Colorado State University, The University of British Columbia, and the University of Alberta. The conference has an average attendance of approximately 350 attendees. The primary purpose of the conference is to provide a forum for members of the mining community to exchange information regarding tailings and mine waste management. The conference this year is hosted by CSU and will be held at the Keystone Resort and Conference Center in Keystone, Colorado from October 5th through 8th, 2014.
Contact Linda at Linda.Hinshaw@colostate.edu to submit an abstract, become a sponsor, or to attend. I can vouchsafe for this conference: it is the best of the best and I would not miss it for anything.
