Critical issues for improved mine wastes disposal: Investigation of self-weight consolidation, accelerated drainage, strength gain under unsaturated conditions, and stability of engineering works

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The mining industry is an important source of investment in Canada and it creates a large number of interesting jobs for highly skilled personnel. Mines can also be a source of concerns, particularly when considering the large quantities of wastes being produced. The development and implementation of effective methods for safely managing and storing these wastes represent a major challenge for the industry. This is notably the case for fine-grained tailings and treatment sludge having very high initial water contents. In such cases, drainage and consolidation issues during deposition are key aspects for the analysis and design of the disposal facilities. Managing waste rocks on mine site can also raise difficulties. This research program will address some of the most critical issues for hard rock mines, including: assessing self-weight consolidation behaviour of fine-grained mine wastes, means to accelerate drainage and dissipation of excess porewater pressures, the effect of desaturation on the shear strength of mine wastes, and alternative disposal methods to improve the hydro-geotechnical response of tailings impoundments and waste rocks piles.