With the latest tailings dam standards demanding a longer-term view of design, construction and closure outcomes, there is growing interest in design philosophies that incorporate shapes and processes as they exist in nature.
According to Justin Walls, principal civil engineer in mine closure at SRK timelines for responsible post-closure management of mines, including the ongoing risks associated with tailings dams, have lengthened from decades to centuries, or even millennia.
This shift renders traditional maintenance techniques very costly – perhaps unaffordable – and calls for a re-envisioning of how we design these structures in the first place.
Speaking at the recent Environmental Engineering Division Conference of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE), Walls highlighted the value of geomorphic designs that emulate natural landforms as an example of this trend.
“Engineers and scientists are increasingly looking to learn from natural analogues, to understand how natural processes operate in a sustainable ecosystem so that we can better emulate these more sustainable designs and structures,” he said. “With the recent raising of the bar by the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), it is likely that these nature-based approaches will gain greater traction.”
Designing for closure is a long-term view
The GISTM emphasises that designing and operating for closure requires a long-term view, and that tailings facilities should be planned, designed, constructed, operated, and closed on the assumption that they will be permanent landforms. It also stresses that short-term financial or operational priorities should not prevail over better design and operational practices that would have lower long-term impacts, complexity, or risks.
Read the full article in Why Africa
