Explore the following case studies for examples of current and past projects undertaken through COSIA
For the alternative disposal method of dry disposal of tailings, two aspects of the process have to be evaluated, namely the maximum dryness of the separated solids and the maximum liquid recovery. For most mining operation, dry disposal is a new concept. Presenting these companies with examples of operations where this processing option has been successfully applied and proven, will help them to adapt to the changing requirements in the future. Focus has been placed on adapting decanter centrifuges to the mining environment. Modern decanters stand out in terms of their small footprint, low water demand, high availability and their high degree of automation, combined with the excellent cost / performance ratio. Decanter centrifuges have started to play a key role in applications such as tailing dewatering, drilling and tunneling muds processing, hydrometallurgical processes of gold, nickel or zinc and separating SX crud in copper refineries. This paper will present advantages of decanter centrifuges compared to the traditional technology and corroborate these advantages by case studies, especially from South America.
At present, most tailings are dewatered by static settling in tailings dams. The environmental impact of these large settlings ponds is very dramatic, not to mention the space requirements and the potential risk of dam failure. This method of disposal also results in the loss of process water due to evaporation. This can be significant in areas where the supply of fresh water is limited. The high centrifugal force in a decanter centrifuge drastically increases dewatering efficiency, as centrifugal separation happens at up to 29,430 m/s² (3,000 × gravitational acceleration or g). Depending on the material, more than 90% of the process water can be recovered using centrifuge technology. It can be reused in the mineral processing operation and will increase the water efficiency of the whole mining community. This paper presents the results of actual projects in Brazil and Peru.