Abstract:

Technological acceptance is not particularly easy at the best of times (electric vs. conventional vehicles for instance), and less so in mining. Perceptions and rules of thumb rather than facts often cloud good engineering practices/sound decision-making, while newcomers or over-zealous business development managers eager to win a project (don’t know what you don’t know) may lack the on-the-ground experience needed to deliver a project that has adequately evaluated risks and opportunities.

There are many engineering firms that see paste and tailings dewatering technologies as a panacea for revenue (i.e chargeability), yet throwing a group of engineers at it does not guarantee a positive outcome for the client. Even well-known entities go through losses of corporate knowledge/memory, which is exacerbated when down-sizing.

This presentation will illustrate outcomes and opportunities through a few case studies of paste backfill and alternative tailings management systems. These showcase how knowledge can quickly be lost (or use of “low-cost”/inexperienced teams) bringing in undue project risk; furthermore, some examples to broaden the currently myopic view of alternative tailings management strategies plaguing the industry will be explored. An inflexible approach to tailings greatly impacts environmental benefits, industry sustainability and shareholder value.

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Frank Palkovitz

Biography