Tailings Management Handbook

As long as we have mining and mineral processing, tailings and the responsible management thereof will remain at the forefront, with a company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in part a reflection of how well tailings risks are being managed. The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) was published in August 2020, aiming to prevent catastrophic failure of tailings facilities by providing operators with specified measures and approaches throughout the mine life cycle, taking into account multiple stakeholder perspectives. In 2021, the International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM) published the Tailings Management: Good Practice Guide intended to support safe, responsible management of tailings across the global mining industry, providing guidance on good governance and engineering practices to support continual improvement in tailings storage facility (TSF) management and help foster and strengthen the safety culture of mining companies. The Tailings Management Handbook is important and timely because there is no other comprehensive resource rooted in these new fundamentals and global principles for tailings management. Tailings management requires interdisciplinary and cross-functional understanding and support, which is apparent throughout this handbook. Dive into the wealth of information contributed by more than 100 world-renowned experts, beautifully crafted into a full-color handbook that focuses on the basics, life-cycle planning, site and tailings characterization, TSF design and construction, as well as systems and operations of TSFs. The inclusion of 42 case studies is an added plus with real-world successes and lessons learned.

Discover the critical insights of tailings management with the essential read, Tailings Management Case Studies, a curated collection of 43 impactful case studies from the acclaimed Tailings Management Handbook. This book is a vital resource for students, professionals, and researchers in the field of mining and mineral processing, offering 11 updated and 3 new case studies that shed light on the ever-evolving challenges of tailings management. Divided into six comprehensive categories - Closure & Reclamation, Design & Construction, Environmental & Regulatory, Geotechnical Studies, Lessons Learned from Failures, and Operations & Monitoring - this compilation offers a structured approach to understanding the multifaceted aspects of tailings management. Each case study serves as a narrative of caution and instruction, highlighting the imperative of responsible tailings management in reflecting a company's commitment to ESG principles. Whether for academic purposes or professional development, this collection stands as a testament to the importance of learning from the past to safeguard our future.

Before You Ever Put the First Shovel in the Ground—This Book Could Be the Difference Between a Successful Mining Operation and a Money Pit Opening a successful new mine is a vastly complex undertaking entailing several years and millions to billions of dollars. In today’s world, when environmental and labor policies, regulatory compliance, and impact on the community must be factored in, you cannot afford to make a mistake. So the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration has created this road map for you. Written by two hands-on, in-the-trenches mining project managers with decades of experience who bring some of the world’s most successful, profitable mines into operation on time, within budget, and ethically, Project Management for Mining gives you step-by-step instructions in every process you are likely to encounter. Beginning with a discussion of mining ethics and governance, this clearly written handbook walks you through all the project management steps—defining the scope, performing prefeasibility and feasibility studies, gaining societal acceptance, minimizing the impact and risks, creating workable schedules and budgets, setting in place the project execution plan, assembling the human resources, hiring the contractors, and establishing project controls—and then on into the delivery of the engineering and design, construction, progress reviews, pre-launch commissioning, and ramping up for operation. Each chapter includes several useful aids such as figures, checklists, and flowcharts to guide you through every step, from conception through successful opening.

This book presents a comprehensive approach to address the need to improve the design of tailings dams, their management and the regulation of tailings management facilities to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the risk of such facilities failing. The scope of the challenge is well documented in the report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and GRID Arendal entitled “Mine Tailings Storage: Safety Is No Accident,” which was released in October 2017. The report recommends that “Regulators, industry and communities should adopt a shared, zero-failure objective to tailings storage facilities...” and identifies several areas where further improvements are required. In this context, the application of cutting-edge risk-assessment methodologies and risk-management practices can contribute to a significant reduction and eventual elimination of dam failures through Risk Informed Decision Making. As such, the book focuses on identifying and describing the risk-assessment approaches and risk-management practices that need to be implemented in order to develop a way forward to achieve socially acceptable levels of tailings dam risk.

With a current world population that exceeds seven billion, resource consumption awareness is more important than ever. Investing in sustainable technologies and renewable resources is a necessary step to ensure the future quality of life of all human beings. The Handbook of Research on Sustainable Development and Economics explores topics such as poverty, gender equality, health, security, and the environment through global empirical studies and fundamental frameworks. With the goal of promoting sustainable techniques for the global future, this handbook is a critical reference for business leaders, educators, policymakers, environmental specialists, and the public at large.

This third edition of the SME Mining Engineering Handbook reaffirms its international reputation as "the handbook of choice" for today's practicing mining engineer. It distills the body of knowledge that characterizes mining engineering as a disciplinary field and has subsequently helped to inspire and inform generations of mining professionals.Virtually all of the information is original content, representing the latest information from more than 250 internationally recognized mining industry experts. Within the handbook's 115 thought-provoking chapters are current topics relevant to today's mining professional: Analyzing how the mining and minerals industry will develop over the medium and long term--why such changes are inevitable, what this will mean in terms of challenges, and how they could be managed Explaining the mechanics associated with the multifaceted world of mine and mineral economics, from the decisions associated with how best to finance a single piece of high-value equipment to the long-term cash-flow issues associated with mine planning at a mature operation Describing the recent and ongoing technical initiatives and engineering developments in relation to robotics, automation, acid rock drainage, block caving optimization, or process dewatering methods Examining in detail the methods and equipment available to achieve efficient, predictable, and safe rock breaking, whether employing a tunnel boring machine for development work, mineral extraction using a mobile miner, or cast blasting at a surface coal operation Identifying the salient points that dictate which is the safest, most efficient, and most versatile extraction method to employ, as well as describing in detail how each alternative is engineered Discussing the impacts that social and environmental issues have on mining from the pre-exploration phase to end-of-mine issues and beyond, and how to manage these two increasingly important factors to the benefit of both the mining companies and other stakeholders

The go-to resource for professionals in the mining industry. The SME Mining Reference Handbook was the first concise reference published in the mining field and it quickly became the industry standard. It sits on almost every mining engineer’s desk or bookshelf with worn pages, tabs to find most used equations, and personal notes. It has been the unequaled single reference and the first source of information for countless engineers. This second edition of the SME Mining Reference Handbook builds on that success. With an enhanced presentation, new and updated information is represented in a concise, well-organized guide of important data for everyday use by engineers and other professionals engaged in mining, exploration, mineral processing, and environmental compliance and reclamation. With its exhaustive trove of charts, graphs, tables, equations, and guidelines, the handbook is the essential technical reference for mobile mining professionals. With its exhaustive trove of charts, graphs, tables, equations, and guidelines, the handbook is the essential technical reference for mobile mining professionals.

The Routledge Handbook of the Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development provides a cutting-edge, comprehensive overview of current trends, challenges and opportunities for metal and mineral production and use, in the context of climate change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. Minerals and metals are used throughout the world in manufacturing, construction, infrastructure, production of electronics and consumer goods. Alongside this widespread use, extraction and processing of mineral resources take place in almost every nation at varying scales, both in developing countries and major developed nations. The chapters in this interdisciplinary handbook examine the international governance mechanisms regulating social, environmental and economic implications of mineral resource extraction and use. The original contributions, from a range of scholars, examine the relevance of the mining industry to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reviewing important themes such as local communities Indigenous peoples, gender equality and fair trade, showing how mining can influence global sustainable development. The chapters are organised into three sections: Global Trends in Mineral Resources Consumption and Production; Technology, Minerals and Sustainable Development; and Management of Social, Environmental and Economic Issues in the Mining Industry. This handbook will serve as an important resource for students and researchers of geology, geography, earth science, environmental studies, engineering, international development, sustainable development and business management, among others. It will also be of interest to professionals in governmental, international and non-governmental organisations that are working on issues of resource governance, environmental protection and social justice.