Presented By: Pranjit Sharmah

BSc. Part III (Geology)

J. B. College, Jorhat, 2013
DUMPING OF MINING WASTE
INTRODUCTION

Mining Waste:
Mining operation brings out all sorts of unwanted materials,
which is known as mining waste.
Mining waste can be defined as a part of the materials that
result from exploration, mining and processing of substance
governed by legislation on mines and quarries.
Mining operation also produce diverse kind of potentially
hazardous waste.
WASTE GENERATED BY THE DIFFERENT MINING
STEPS
Each of the ore mining and processing steps can generate mining
waste. This waste generally has different physical and chemical
properties.
The chemical composition of the waste varies considerably
according to the substance mined and nature of geological
formation containing deposit.
The main types of mining waste in addition to top soil and
overburden can be classified as:-
 Waste rock
 Tailings
 Temporary stock piles
 Slags
WASTE ROCK
TAILINGS
STOCKPILES
SLAG DUMPS
DUMPING OF MINING WASTE
The disposal of materials left after the process of
separating the valuable fraction from the
uneconomic part of an ore is called dumping of
mining waste.
Following steps are generally involved in the design of a waste rock
dump (tailing dams in general ):-
 Site selection
 Material handling

 Stability

 Continual monitoring
TAILING DAMS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMAPACTS

Although, dumping of mining waste is crucial in any

mining operation but it has also deadly impact on
various components of environment. Dumping of
mining waste causes substantial impact on:
 Soil and vegetation
 Water resource
 Air quality and so on.
IMPACT ON LAND BY TAILINGS DAM FAILURE
IMPACT ON WATER BODIES
IMPACT ON AIR QUALITY
MANAGEMENT OF DUMPING WASTE
In recent years, the mining industry has placed increasing
emphasis on finding solutions to mine waste management
issues that are both environmentally sound and cost
effective.
 Safe disposal of mining waste.
 Long term security and environmental protection.
 Safety and stability of dams
 Recycling : Coarse mining waste and especially barren
rock is sometimes considered as materials for roads,
building foundations or cement factories, depending on
its geotechnical and geochemical characteristics.
MINE WASTE REHABILITATION
LEGISLATION

 Mining activity has subjected it to a body of national

legislation known as the Mining Code.
 International law, including the Stockholm Declaration
and the Rio Declaration, recognizes that nations have a
right to exploit their own natural resources following
their own particular environmental policies.
 No nation may undertake activities within its borders
that will cause significant injury to another nation,
AWARENESS

 The industry and government have responded with

a number of initiatives and regulations to protect
and manage the environmental effects of mining
activities.
 Public participation can also forge lines of
communication among communities, the project
proponent, and the government, that will continue
through to project implementation or other future
projects.
 Recycle , Reuse and Rehabilitation of Mine wastes.
CONCLUSION
 Safe disposal of mine waste
 . Humans must focus on understanding the
character, stability, impact, remediation and reuse
of the mine waste.
 Currently, extensive planning for and caring out
environmentally conscious mining activities of site
cleanup and rehabilitation of mine waste are of
primary concern.