ABSTRACT
The use of thickened tailings and pastes stems from the aim to design tailings disposal sites to suit their surrounding environment, rather than manipulating the environment to accommodate the tailings. Thickened tailings and pastes usually exhibit non-Newtonian behaviour, so determination of the disposal plant operating conditions requires a thorough understanding of the rheological characteristics of the material. The implementation and optimisation of dry disposal methods involves three concurrent and interdependent rheological studies to determine i) the concentration required to achieve the optimum spreading and drying characteristics of the tailings once deposited ii) the optimum conditions for pipeline transport and iii) the feasibility of dewatering the slurry to the required concentration.
The purpose of this paper is to provide an informed background to ensure the appropriate rheological issues are addressed as a part of the overall tailings management strategy.
