While not specific to tailings, knowledge of geosynthetics is valuable to tailings engineers. This webinar presents an overview of the worldwide industry known as Geosynthetics. Each type will be described and elements of their primary design function will also be explained. Applications will then be addressed in the four major thrust areas that geosynthetics have focused upon. They are: transportation and geotechnical (paved and unpaved roads, walls, slopes); geoenvironmental (landfills, surface impoundments); hydraulic engineering (dams, tunnels, canals); and private development (parks, sport fields, aquaculture, agriculture).
The primary objectives of this one-year scoping project are to determine the feasibility of extracting byproduct mineral commodities, such as critical minerals, from mine tailings. We plan to analyze the existing data and reports from an active mine sites on the composition of their mill tailings pile, and collect preliminary reconnaissance samples to identify appropriate analytical techniques that will be most useful to this study. The array of techniques considered will span standard and advanced mineralogical characterization techniques.
Waste isolation is a key strategy for mitigating risk from municipal solid waste (MSW) and hazardous waste streams. Conventional covers at MSW facilities are designed for a 30-yr post-closure period where compacted soils and geosynthetics are used to minimize percolation into buried waste. Recently, evapotranspiration (ET) covers have shown beneficial use for MSW management. Evapotranspiration covers encourage infiltration, storage, and transpiration of precipitation to minimize percolation. Such covers may also have beneficial use for long-term waste issues, such as at Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) sites. These sites were covered by a clay radon barrier to create tortuous flow paths that allow radioactive decay and attenuation of short-lived, radon-222 gas. For long-term waste isolation, an ET-radon cover may provide greater resilience by exploiting natural processes instead of resisting them. This update presents a review of the current state-of-the-science regarding ET covers and considerations for long-term applications.
While not specific to tailings, this webinar includes valuable knowledge for tailings engineers. This webinar is divided into two sections: the first part discusses how geo-chemistry plays an important role in everyday practice. Geotechnical and geo-environmental problems are specifically the target. The second part of this webinar addresses principles and tools available to obtain geo-chemical information. Overall, this webinar will provide geotechnical and geo-environmental engineers with a broad overview of the relevance of geo-chemistry in various aspects of the profession and with a guide on how to strategically utilize geo-chemistry tools to reduce materials testing requirements and acquire a competitive edge that can differentiate you in the eyes of prospective clients.
The purpose of this guide is to provide a concise resource for the application of the CPT for geo-environmental projects. This guide is a supplement to the book CPT in Geotechnical Practice by Lunne, Robertson and Powell (1997). Basic recommendations are provided on applications of CPT data for soil profiling, material identification, evaluation of geotechnical parameters and application of CPT technology to geo-environmental projects.
Repository of sources (projects) under the Mineral Resources Program. Objective: Understanding potential and existing environmental impacts of mineral resources and their extraction promotes sustainable development of needed mineral materials and responsible stewardship of our natural resources. Topics include baseline data, bioavailability, deposit models, geochemistry, metal mobility, metals in waste, mine waste, mineral resource formation.
The article focuses on how USGS scientists are using cutting edge tools to revisit Mine Waste and Tailings for Resources