Optimization of the use of waste rock inclusions in tailings impoundments to improve their short and long-term performance

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The research will focus on an innovative method for the storage tailings and waste rock that results in improved environmental and geotechnical performance and thus reduces major risks associated with mining. The method consists of the co-disposal of tailings and waste rock such that continuous inclusions of stronger, more permeable and more rigid waste rock are placed in tandem with tailings deposition. The inclusions accelerate consolidation, reinforce the impoundment and reduce the quantity of tailings released in the event of a rupture. This technique is currently in use at one mine, the Canadian Malartic Mine, and is being considered at other sites. There remain areas of uncertainty regarding the use of inclusions, including for instance the applicability of analytical and numerical methods of evaluation and design as well as practical considerations such as the amount and effects of tailings infiltration into the inclusions. The primary point of reference for this project will be instrumented waste rock inclusions that are currently being constructed at the Canadian Malartic Mine. The research will consist of a combination of in situ monitoring, laboratory testing, physical modelling, and numerical analysis with the objectives of: 1) Mine waste characterization and behavior; 2) Tailings and waste rock interaction near inclusions; 3) Field monitoring and data analysis; 4) Constitutive modeling and numerical simulations; and 5) Optimization strategy and guidelines for the design of inclusions. The project will have a duration of 4 years and will be supported by 7 industrial partners who will be contributing $120,00 in cash annually as well as a total of $778,000 of in-kind contributions. A total of 25 HQP will be trained over the course of the research. The research will benefit the mining industry and Canada by providing a means to reduce the geoenvironmental risks associated with mine wastes and by keeping Canada at the forefront of mine wastes disposal technology.