Abstract
Nanofibrillated Cellulose (NFC) is a recently-developed high-performance tailings treatment additive produced from wood pulp. The exceptionally high surface area and aspect ratio of this material impart it with the ability to dramatically strengthen backfill at very low loading levels. We have found that 0.1wt% NFC addition can double the UCS of a 5% portland cement paste backfill through nano-entanglement of paste particulates. This suggests that NFC addition can enable the use of significantly lower cement loadings, leading to significant cost and CO2 savings.
This presentation will provide a brief background on NFC, followed by a summary of results to date in mine backfill. It is proposed that NFC addition can be used to offset cement usage for reduced cost and carbon emissions.