Integrated Tailings & Mine Waste Management

From innovative tailings storage solutions to advanced dewatering techniques and resilient designs, our multi-disciplinary team advances responsible mining practices through integrated mine waste solutions.

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Comprehensive mine waste solutions

At WSP, we understand that responsible mining includes the effective management of all types of mine waste. We provide advice and develop tailings and waste management approaches that align with evolving standards and best practices throughout the entire mining life cycle. Our technical expertise, global governance programs, and deep understanding of risk enable us to create innovative solutions that improve stakeholder outcomes. By integrating hazard identification, risk assessment, and control methods early in the design process, we mitigate health and safety risks and safeguard communities and the environment.

Leveraging our global network, we build bespoke teams with diverse skill sets to meet the unique requirements of each project. Utilizing innovative solutions in conjunction with proven technologies to create opportunities for improved stakeholder outcomes, our team takes a holistic view, incorporating ESG principles at every phase of a mine and facility.

Multi-disciplinary expertise to support your facilities

Tailings Storage Facilities

Filtration and Thickening
Plants

Waste Rock / Overburden
Facilities

Water Treatment Operations

Heap Leach Facilities

Water Storage Facilities

Designing with the future in mind

Tailings storage facilities often remain in place long after the mine itself has closed. The most appropriate tailings solution should consider all options and be informed by a robust options assessment. Our team continuously innovates and identifies new methods and technologies that are robust, practical, and economical at scale while decreasing operational complexity and with a focus on safety as well as post-closure land capability.

Having a clear closure plan that is acceptable to the community and sufficiently low risk is critical for both new and existing sites. Designing with closure in mind is critical, no facility operates forever, and decisions made today have a lasting impact on tomorrow.

Delivering a full range of tailings solutions

From conventional slurries to innovative dewatered solutions, we are at the leading edge of developing and implementing new approaches, in line with the Global Industry Standard for Tailings Management and regional standards.

Containment Embankment TSFs

WSP is a world leader in supporting development of TSFs that employ containment embankments. Whether it is upstream, downstream or centreline, using earthfill or cyclone sands, WSP has the breadth and depth of experience to support project development, with a rich history of projects in a variety of commodities, climatic conditions and countries.

Discover our work at Teck’s Quebrada Blanca copper mine on the QB2 sand dam.

Co-Disposal / Co-Mingling

From early studies to designing scaled pilot plants, co-disposal of waste rock with tailings is a developing approach to reduce the footprint and increase the stability of tailings storage facilities. Whether it’s mixed or co-located, we can help.

We’re currently supporting a client with the design and commissioning of a co-disposal pilot plant for a copper mine.

Hydraulic Dewatered Stacking

Co-developed by WSP and Anglo American, Hydraulic Dewatered Stacking (HDS) is an innovative new tailings management concept that recovers water, increases stability and simplifies closure. HDS combines and co-disposes sand generated by coarse particle recovery from the tailings stream aiming to produce a stable, well-consolidated tailings stack with a low degree of saturation.

Learn more about the dewatering technology and the field trial we led at El Soldado.

Thickened Tailings and Paste Technology

Leading pioneers in paste and thickening technology since the 1990s, we’ve designed and commissioned over 30 paste plants all around the world. We support surface deposition as well as backfill applications.

Learn about a paste plant we built entirely underground.

Filtered Tailings Management

As filter technology becomes scalable, WSP is supporting the development of pilot plants and the transition to large-scale filtered tailings projects. Filtered tailings is incorporated into all our early-stage options studies to support owners with making a clear decision for their life of mine tailings management.

Learn about GoldSET, our innovative tool to support multiple accounts assessments / multi-criteria analysis.

Integrated mine waste services

Our global team of industry-leading tailings and mine waste experts can assist you in every phase of mine waste operations, from strategic planning, risk informed stewardship, technology evaluations, laboratory testing, and options assessments to engineering, construction management, commissioning, training and closure solutions.

Tailings Engineering Services

TSF design – from concept to closure
Site selection and options analysis
Risk assessment & management
Project development studies
Design analyses including numerical modelling and design analyses (seepage, stability, consolidation, water balance, etc.)
Detailed engineering
Construction QA/QC
Operational support
Closure design, implementation & monitoring

Governance Support

Engineer of Record
Independent Tailings Review Board support
Third Party Review services
GISTM compliance

Integrated Mine Waste Management Services

Advanced testing laboratories
Geochemical characterization
Geotechnical and geophysical investigations
Surface water and dam break studies
Site-specific seismic hazard assessments and stability assessments
Contaminant fate and transport modelling
Groundwater assessments
Reprocessing of tailings
Water management
Environmental approvals and management
Emergency preparedness and response plans

Plant Design and Tailings Transport

Conceptual, detailed design + commissioning (including EPCM) for paste and thickened and filtered tailings plants
Backfill, hydraulic fill and cemented rockfill plants
Surface tailings deposition
Pumping & piping
Underground paste distribution design
Dewatering, filters (vacuum and pressure)

Learn more about our mine infrastructure services.

img- Mine Plant Design and Tailings Transport

Heap Leach Facilities

Heap leach design
Heap leach material characterization
Site selection and options analysis
Risk assessment & management
Project development studies
Detailed engineering
Construction QA/QC
Operational support
Closure design, implementation & monitoring

Advanced Testing Laboratories

Our advanced tailings testing laboratories, combined with our highly experienced engineers, enable us to offer our clients cutting-edge laboratory analysis to inform robust designs.

Direct Simple Shear Tests
Slurry Consolidometer Tests
Triaxial Tests and Critical State Testing
Cyclic Direct Simple Shear Tests
Hollow Cylinder Testing
Hazardous materials testing
Bench scale rheology for paste
Laboratory scale flow loop

Innovation

We partner with our clients to develop and implement new approaches that minimize risk and create opportunities, such as through:

Co-developing hydraulic dewatered stacking
Designing large-scale integrated mine waste facilities (co-mingling and co-disposal)
Patented pipeline pressure relief device
Point of discharge polymer addition
Carbon dioxide sequestration and mineralization
Remining, reuse and reprocessing options assessment

Industry Guidance

Our team are actively engaged in education and sharing best practices through conference proceedings, supporting academia and contributing to many valuable industry resources such as:

SME Tailings Management Handbook
Guidelines for Mine Waste Dump and Stockpile Design
Paste & Thickened Tailings - a Guide
Handbook on Mine Fill
Global Acid Rock Drainage (GARD) Guide
AusIMM Tailings Management Course
And many more!

Need support in managing mine waste effectively?

Connect with our tailings and mine waste experts to explore innovative, sustainable solutions for your operations.

Discover some of our mine waste projects

mine waste, design of the tailings management facility (TMF)

Chile

Design of tailings management facility for Teck QB2 project

Located in northern Chile, QB2 is one of the largest undeveloped copper resources in the world. When complete, it will be a world-class asset with low operating costs and an initial mine life of 28 years with significant additional growth potential.

mine waste, hydraulic dewatered stacking, tailings management

Chile

Innovative tailings management concept breaks new ground at El Soldado, Chile

Mining companies are always looking to improve safety, reduce environmental impact, and cut costs. A new tailings management concept being trialled at Anglo American’s El Soldado copper mine offers to do all three.

Papua, Indonesia

Underground Paste Plant for Mine in Mountainous Terrain

The Grasberg Mine in Papua, Indonesia is one of the most remote, complex mining operations in the world.

Pilbara region, Australia

Jimblebar Beneficiation Project

Calibre, a member of WSP, was awarded the EPCM services contract for BHP’s Jimblebar Beneficiation Project. This major project, which is in design study phase involves the delivery of the first major wet processing facility for BHP’s Western Australian Iron Ore Operations in four decades.