Commercial and Industrial Blog

Mine tailings disposal, and its impact on water usage, is an important concern for any mining company. The challenge today, whether extracting aluminum, zinc, gold or iron ore, is how to dispose of tailings material such that it is contained and stable, while maximizing water reuse and minimizing surface footprint.

Paste, or thickened tailings, has become an increasingly important method to address many of the environmental problems facing the mining industry. Pasting was originally developed by the alumina industry in the 1970s, and for the past 20 years has been applied worldwide.

Paste, or thickened tailings, have become an increasingly important method to address many of the environmental problems facing the mining industry. The term “paste” as used in this discussion applies to the full range of non-settling tailings that exhibit a yield stress such as “thickened tailings” and “mine paste backfill.”