Utilisation of mine waste
Introduction
- Efficient use of mineral resources
- Reduced environmental impacts
- Increased profitability through increased income and reduced disposal costs
- Improved sustainability for local communities
Possible uses for mine waste
- Road constructions
- Construction material for building industry
- Material for landfill
- Material for embankments designed for mitigating traffic noise
- Material to stabilize pit walls or tunnels and to backfill stopes and galleries
- Material for landscaping and stabilization during mine closure
- Material in the neutralization of acidic groundwater generated in the mine pit
- Tailings dams
- Road constructions and other earthworks
- Example: aggregates made of ferrochromium slag, for more detailed information about the product see: Material safety data sheet for OKTO-aggregate (Outokumpu Oy 2013)
- As fertilizer or supplement to enhance soil quality
- Material for backfilling the mine workings
- Raising of tailings dams
Enhancing the mine waste utilisation
- UUMA2
- “The goal of the UUMA2 programme is to promote the use of recovered materials in groundworks and thus decrease the use of untouched natural resources and the environmental effects of groundworks. The UUMA2 programme especially focuses on promoting eco-efficient project-specific material solutions and the commercialisation of groundworks with recovered materials. The main focus of the programme is on product development, in the development of planning and acquisitions carried out by clients and the related demonstration projects.” (Motiva 2013)
- Utilization of mining waste rock for infrastructure construction in North Savo
- “The purpose of the project is to integrate waste rocks and stone-based extractive waste of the mines and quarries into a part of regional construction aggregates accounting, land-use planning and stone raw materials trading.” (Savonia 2013)
- ProMine
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The four-year (2010-2013) ProMine project has carried out 4D modelling for the mining industry, created new nano products from waste and by-product minerals of the mining industry, surveyed European raw material resources, including secondary resources, and recorded them in a minerals database. (GTK 2013)
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References
GTK 2013. The ProMine Project. http://promine.gtk.fi/
Heikkinen, P.M., Noras, P. & Salminen, R. (eds.) 2008. Mine Closure Handbook – Environmental Techniques for the Extractive Industries. Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), Technical Research Center of Finland (VTT), Outokumpu Oyj, Finnish Road Enterprise, and Soil and Water Ltd. ISBN 978-952-217-042-2. 169p. http://en.gtk.fi/informationservices/publications/publications/latest/publication/EJ74.html
Inkeröinen, J. & Alasaarela, E. (eds.) 2010. Uusiomateriaalien käyttö maarakentamisessa – Tuloksia UUMA-ohjelmasta 2006–2010 (in Finnish). Ympäristöministeriön raportteja 13/2010. 94p. http://www.motiva.fi/files/7913/YM_13-2010_Uusiomateriaalien_kaytto_maarakentamisessa_Tuloksia_UUMA-ohjelmasta_2006-2010.pdf
ITRC (Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council) 2010. Re-use and reprocess (R2) Technologies. Technology overview. Washington, D.C.: Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council, Mining Waste Team. http://www.itrcweb.org/miningwaste-guidance/to_reuse.htm
Mitchell, C., Harrison, D.J., Robinson, H.L. & Ghazireh, N. 2004. Minerals from waste : recent BGS and Tarmac experience in finding uses for mine and quarry waste. Minerals Engineering, 17 (2). 279-284. 10.1016/j.mineng.2003.07.020
Motiva 2013. UUMA 2 Programme Briefly in English. http://www.uuma2.fi/briefly-english
Outokumpu Oy 2013. Material safety data sheet – OKTO-Murske (OKTO-Aggregate). 6.8.2013. http://www.morenia.fi/media/tiedostot/okto-aggregate-06_08_2013.pdf
Savonia 2013. Utilization of mining waste rock for infrastructure construction in North Savo. http://codez.savonia.fi/cdio3_2013_gtk/gtk/en/index.html
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