Economic & Industrial

South Africa: Govt Needs to Refresh How It Manages By-Products From Mining

South Africa: Govt Needs to Refresh How It Manages By-Products From Mining
Mining News Pro - To extract minerals from host rocks, mines grind down rock into fine sand. Once the mineral is extracted, most of this fine sand remains as a by-product called tailings. Every mining operation produces a unique tailings stream and local conditions dictate storage options.
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According to Mining News Pro - To extract minerals from host rocks, mines grind down rock into fine sand. Once the mineral is extracted, most of this fine sand remains as a by-product called tailings. Every mining operation produces a unique tailings stream and local conditions dictate storage options.

In countries like South Africa which has a big and robust mining sector, tailings need to be managed with extra care. Typically they`re conveyed as a slurry and placed into dams that are incrementally built over a mine`s life. This watery tailings slurry takes a long time to dry out and gain strength , resulting in unique challenges. If they aren`t managed correctly, the results can be disastrous - and even fatal.

South Africa has more than 200 active tailings dams and many more dormant facilities . The Departments of Mineral Resources , Environmental Affairs and Water and Sanitation all have regulations for the management of these facilities. The aim is to maintain a balance between environmental protection, economic growth and social development.

There have been two major tailings dam failures in South Africa in the last half century - in 1974 and 1994 . As many as 29 people died. These two failures galvanised the industry, leading to a better technical understanding of tailings dams and the development of systems to manage the inherent safety risks.

This progress - and the fact that there have been no further catastrophic failures in the last 20 years - can easily lead to complacency. But recent disasters in Canada and Brazil have shown how quickly things can go wrong. The recent failures of the Mt Polley Tailings Dam in Canada and Fundão Tailings Dam in Brazil have shown that even though the risks are known and technical solutions are available, failures still happen. Failures can result in the loss of life, environmental destruction and financial damage that could exceed the mine`s capacity to pay.



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