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Green Engineering Approaches to Tailings Management in the Mining Industry: Chemical Process Design, Water Recycling, and Zero-Waste Goals (A Review)
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Resources Conservation & Recycling
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV7I3-1711179-7686
Abstract
Modern society could not do without mining as the raw materials it provides support not only the industries making up everyday life such as construction, energy, electronics, renewable technologies, among others. However, this improvement is at a price: every year, billions of tonnes of thinly-ground mineral tailings are produced, which is an environmental, social, and technical burden. Traditional techniques of tailings disposal most remarkably slurry storage behind huge earthen dams are being acknowledged as being unsustainable. Not only do these facilities use colossal amounts of water but are also always under the looming threat of disastrous collapse, as was witnessed with Brumadinho in Brazil. The concepts of green engineering can provide a radical way to rethink the management of tailings. These principles instead of viewing tailings as a type of water inevitability resulting from the mining process, emphasize process redesign, water conservation, and resource recovery to synchronize the mining process with the goals of a circular economy and sustainability. This literature review paper discusses three pillars of green engineering in managing tailings: (1) making chemical process design innovations to minimize tailings volume and increase dewatering efficiency; (2) developing improved water recycling systems to establish near-closed-loop cycles; and (3) developing zero-waste approaches that use tailings as an asset instead of a liability. This paper identifies the gains, constraints, and prospects of these strategies by developing evidence based both on the industry case studies and the scholarly literature in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. Finally, green engineering is not only a requirement in terms of environment but also a social and economic requirement of the future of mining.
Keywords
Tailings Management, Green Engineering, Chemical Process Design, Water Recycling, Zero-Waste Mining, And Circular Economy.
How to cite this paper
@article{1711179,
author = {Akintunde S. Samakinde, Vincent B. Arohunmolase , Dawuda L. Massaquoi , Chidubem B.Onwughara},
title = {Green Engineering Approaches to Tailings Management in the Mining Industry: Chemical Process Design, Water Recycling, and Zero-Waste Goals (A Review)},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2023},
volume = {7},
number = {3},
pages = {835-847},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1711179.pdf},
abstract = {Modern society could not do without mining as the raw materials it provides support not only the industries making up everyday life such as construction, energy, electronics, renewable technologies, among others. However, this improvement is at a price: every year, billions of tonnes of thinly-ground mineral tailings are produced, which is an environmental, social, and technical burden. Traditional techniques of tailings disposal most remarkably slurry storage behind huge earthen dams are being acknowledged as being unsustainable. Not only do these facilities use colossal amounts of water but are also always under the looming threat of disastrous collapse, as was witnessed with Brumadinho in Brazil. The concepts of green engineering can provide a radical way to rethink the management of tailings. These principles instead of viewing tailings as a type of water inevitability resulting from the mining process, emphasize process redesign, water conservation, and resource recovery to synchronize the mining process with the goals of a circular economy and sustainability. This literature review paper discusses three pillars of green engineering in managing tailings: (1) making chemical process design innovations to minimize tailings volume and increase dewatering efficiency; (2) developing improved water recycling systems to establish near-closed-loop cycles; and (3) developing zero-waste approaches that use tailings as an asset instead of a liability. This paper identifies the gains, constraints, and prospects of these strategies by developing evidence based both on the industry case studies and the scholarly literature in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. Finally, green engineering is not only a requirement in terms of environment but also a social and economic requirement of the future of mining.},
keywords = {Tailings Management, Green Engineering, Chemical Process Design, Water Recycling, Zero-Waste Mining, And Circular Economy.},
month = {September},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV7I3-1711179-7686}
}