Abstract
Today, seepage control in tailings dams has become an important problem due to the increased production in mining sites. Although very techniques have been developed to solve this problem, research in this field continues. The reason for this is that there is an ongoing search for a one hundred percent successful method to prevent seepage. In this study, the geochemical and geomechanical properties of paste material stored by the surface paste disposal (SPD) method were investigated by pilot field tests. To determine the effects of cement and pozzolanic materials on the geochemical and geomechanical properties of the paste, 2 different pilot-scale storage designs were observed for about 1 year, with no additives (reference) and binder added to some layers (cement and fly ash). Based on the data derived from the former laboratory investigations and with no additives and with a few layers of cement and fly ash, the two different designs were applied on a pilot scale near the existing tailings dam of a currently active mining enterprise. These designs were observed in inland conditions for about 1 year to determine the effects of seasonal changes on the material. The seepage analysis, surface crack densities, microstructural properties, consolidation, and cohesion values of these designs, which are directly exposed to atmospheric effects, were determined during the study period. According to the results obtained, the use of cement improved the volume compressibility coefficient of the material by approximately 25% compared to the reference design. However, the use of fly ash alongside cement improved the volume compressibility coefficient by about 75%. In conclusion, the use of cement made the material more resistant to external factors, and the usability of fly ash, which was used at a 50% replacement ratio with cement to bring down the cost, for long-time storage in the industry was demonstrated within the scope of the study.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 537-551 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Funding
The authors are grateful to the Executive Secretariat of Scientific Research Projects of Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa. This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey [Project Numbers: 116M721, Grant number: 1001] and by the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa [Project Nos: 30767, 24707, and 20818]. The authors are grateful to the Executive Secretariat of Scientific Research Projects of Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Executive Secretariat of Scientific Research Projects of Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa | |
| Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu | 116M721, 1001 |
| Istanbul Üniversitesi-Cerrahpasa | 24707, 20818, 30767 |
Keywords
- environmental issues
- pozzolanic material
- soil mechanics
- surface paste disposal method
- surface tailing disposal
- Tailing disposal