January 5, 2023

Tailings Pond Volumes Increasing with Lower Grade Ores

Tailings Pond Volumes Increasing with Lower Grade Ores

January 5, 2023

The world’s 29,000-35,000 active, inactive and abandoned tailings storage facilities (“TSFs”) contain approximately 534 billion cubic meters (~14 trillion gallons) of wastewater.  With recent catastrophic failures, there is increasing regulatory scrutiny of TSF safety, but these efforts are challenged by ever-increasing amounts of TSF wastewater due to mining successively lower grades of ore (see article below) and also due to increased weather volatility.  Hence, the number of TSF failures is expected to continue to increase.   EcoVAP’s proven technology for evaporating this wastewater, thus reducing or practically eliminating the volume of wastewater at any TSF, can help reduce the operational cost and environmental risk of tailings wastewater disposal.  

Article:

https://worldminetailingsfailures.org

Latest News

2nd Largest Metals Mine in World Vetoed Due to Clean Water Act
December 2020
Alaska’s Pebble Mine project was vetoed under section 404(c) of the federal Clean Water Act. Construction of the mine would have cost $4.7 billion.
Stringent New Standards for Tailing Pond Wastewater
November 2020
A joint report (August 2020) by the United Nations Environment Program and the International Council on Mining and Metals calls for much higher safety standards and regulations for managing mining tailings ponds.
Development of One of the World’s Largest Gold Mines Halted Due to Wastewater Disposal Risks
November 2020
Environmental approval for the biggest open-pit mining project in Latin America is being continually delayed due to environmental concerns about the difficulty of wastewater disposal and tailings dam safety.
WASHINGTON POST
MARCH 2021
Army Corps denies permit for massive gold mine proposed near Bristol Bay in Alaska
WASHINGTON POST
MARCH 2021
Army Corps denies permit for massive gold mine proposed near Bristol Bay in Alaska
WASHINGTON POST
MARCH 2021
Army Corps denies permit for massive gold mine proposed near Bristol Bay in Alaska
WASHINGTON POST
MARCH 2021
Army Corps denies permit for massive gold mine proposed near Bristol Bay in Alaska
WASHINGTON POST
MARCH 2021
Army Corps denies permit for massive gold mine proposed near Bristol Bay in Alaska
WASHINGTON POST
MARCH 2021
Army Corps denies permit for massive gold mine proposed near Bristol Bay in Alaska