Mining waste, Żelazny Most tailings pond, Poland

More information is on KGHM webpage.
From MIN-NOVATION 6th MBN meeting In Wroclaw, 23...27.10.2012
From MIN-NOVATION 6th MBN meeting In Wroclaw, 23...27.10.2012
From MIN-NOVATION 6th MBN meeting In Wroclaw, 23...27.10.2012

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Department of Mining: 13th International Symposium PÄRNU 2013 “TOPICAL P...

Department of Mining: 13th International Symposium PÄRNU 2013 “TOPICAL P...: 13 th  International Symposium PÄRNU 2013 “TOPICAL PROBLEMS IN THE FIELD OF ELECTRICAL AND POWER ENGINEERING” and “Doctoral School of Ene...

Waste Management World July-August 2012

Waste Management World July-August 2012:




SHORT COURSE in Norway, October 11-12, 2012 MINE WASTE CHARACTERIZATION IN THE EU: USE OF NEW EU-GUIDELINES

http://kjeoy.no/



OCTOBER 1-5, 2012: GEOCHEMICAL EXPLORATION SHORT COURSE

more information to come

_______________________________

WORKSHOP OCTOBER 8-10, 2012, MINE WASTE CHARACTERISATION IN COOPERATION WITH PADRE more info later

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STRONG INCREASE IN MINING ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AT KREC
Over the last seven years Kjeøy Research & Education Center (KREC) has conducted research on Acid/Neutral Rock Drainage (A/NRD) associated with mining activities and is the leading organization on A/NRD research in Norway. KREC has supported two MSc students one PhD student and is currently supporting one MSc (Univ. Oslo, Norway) and one PhD student (Univ. Miskolc, Hungary). Through two new PhD students, KREC is increasing the research on A/NRD issues from improving prediction methods, performing mineral solubility studies, to evaluating improved reclamation processes. The current budget for this research is approximately 10 mill. NOK over the next 3 years. The project is supported by the Skattefunn Program (Norwegian tax relief program for research), however, KREC is seeking other sponsors for this research and, as well as, sponsors to further increase the mining environmental research program at KREC.
To see the whole article click here KREC Research News



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Study and sample tour with MIN-NOVATION partners from Finland, 27...30.05.2012

MIN-NOVATION project partners from Finland Kainuun Etu and University of Oulu and TUT Department of Mining had together the technical tour in Estonian mining sites. Guides wareTUT Mining Department teaching assistant Veiko Karu and docent Heidi Soosalu.


Mining museum at Department of Mining:
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012


Samples from Rummu limestone fines
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012

Samples from Maardu flotation sand
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012


Visiting old phosphorite rock mine Ülgase
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012

Phosphorite rock old open cast in Maardu
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012

Samples from burned black shale
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012

Sample from semi-coke in Kiviõli
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012

 Oil shale waste rock heap in Kukruse
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012

Oil shale museum in Kukruse
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012

Kiikla heat pump is using mine water for heat source
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012

Project manager of Kiikla heat pump
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012

Oil shale waste rock heap in Ahtme
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012

Samples from Estonia (mining waste)
From Study Tour in Estonia, 27...30.05.2012


Photos from Study and Sample Tour:

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MIN-NOVATION Mining and Mineral Processing Waste Management Innovation Network
http://mi.ttu.ee/min-novation/
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About mining waste by nonminers

http://eyeonmining.wordpress.com/issues/mining-waste/

MINE WASTE

Mining Waste
Mines produce waste, a lot of it. Some companies construct tailings dumps, some tailings dams and others just dump it in rivers or the sea, whatever method they use,  mining leaves behind a legacy of waste that lasts forever. Burst dams, pollution, filled rivers and devastated ecosystems are regular consequences of modern mining where recovery rates can be as little as 5-10 grams of gold per tonne of rock and ore mined.
This page deals with waste, overtime lots of waste but Mining Monitor is starting with -
Submarine Tailings Disposal [from STD Toolkit - Mining Watch Canada]
Submarine Tailings Disposal is dumping mine tailings into the sea through a submerged pipe. In the Western Pacific region, mining companies argue that Submarine Tailings Disposal (STD) is the best solution for tailings disposal. They say that storing tailings on the land in this region is risky—because the Western Pacific experiences earthquakes; has many moun- tainous islands with no place for on-land storage; is an area where land is urgently needed for agriculture; and has high rainfall, making tailings dams vulnerable to collapse. In modern STD systems, mining companies claim  that the goal is to deposit tailings into deep waters of the sea where there is little oxygen. They say that therefore tailings will be less likely to oxidize and leach out toxic metals. Mining companies also argue that marine life at these depths is not so abundant and it is not important to the human food chain.STD
By pumping their tailings into the sea, mining companies remove unsightly tailings on land. They “solve” the problems of maintaining tailings impoundments and dams, and managing acid mine drainage and metal leaching from tailings impoundments, sometimes “in perpetuity” (forever). And in case of a dam failure, mining companies avoid the risks of social rage and of expensive clean up.
Unlike on land, if something goes wrong with an STD system, there is little the company, or anyone else, can do. The public may not even discover a problem, because it is out of sight under the sea. Even if a problem becomes known, it is harder to hold a company legally and financially responsible.
STD is also a relatively cheap mine-waste solution. Placer Dome’s Dick Zandee wrote in a 1985 article about their surface disposal system into Calancan Bay in the Philippines that, “operation of the current sea-disposal system costs less than half as much as the operation of the tailings-pond system.” For the Kitsault mine in Canada, which was given a special site-specific exemption in 1979 to operate an STD system, it was estimated that STD would save the company $25 million dollars per year in tailings disposal costs relative to the cost of land-disposal. The U.S. Department of the Interior concluded that, on average, STD use resulted in a 17% reduction in capital costs and a 1.6% increase in operating costs.
In discussions with local communities and governments, mining companies and their consultants make claims about the environmental acceptability of STD and they claim STD, or Deep Sea Tailing Placement “is proven technology.”  But there are known risks related to STD that mining companies and their consultants either do not discuss with local communities or tend to minimize their severity by speaking of “mitigating measures” that can be taken or good “monitoring systems” that will warn people when a problem does occur. Especially during the pre-permitting phase, there is not enough transparency about the risks associated with STD.
Where STD is Practiced, and Proposed Sites PNG
The first mines to use STD were the Atlas Mine, in the Philippines, and the Island Copper Mine, in Canada (both in 1971) and the Jordan River Mine, in Canada, and the Black Angel Mine, in Greenland (both in 1972.) In all of these cases, the mines dumped at relatively shallow depths and experienced serious problems with wider than predicted dispersal (spreading out) of tailings, turbidity, and metal leaching.
Even after it became well known that these mines were damaging marine environments, the Island Copper Mine, the Black Angel Mine, and the Atlas Mine continued using STD into the 1990s. (The Atlas Mine is still operating.)
STD is currently being practiced in the following places: 
• In Chile at the Huasco Iron Pelletising Plant operated by Compania Minera del Pacifico 
• In Indonesia at Minahasa Raya and Batu Hijau mines both operated by Newmont Corporation 
• In Turkey at the Cayeli Bakir Mine operated by Inmet Mining 
• In Papua New Guinea at the Lihir Mine operated by Lihir Management Company and Rio Tinto 
• In Papua New Guinea at the Misima Mine operated by Placer Dome 
• In England at the Boulby Potash Mine operated by Cleveland Potash
• In the Philippines at the Atlas Mine operated by Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corporation
STD Mines Table
Additional Reading – both from Mining Watch Canada’s STD Toolkit

Science of dumping mine waste at sea

Decision nears on Papua New Guinea coastal mine waste dumping
Thursday, 24 March 2011
By John Luick1, Gregg Brunskill2, Gavin Mudd3, Amanda Reichelt-Brushett4, and Philip Shearman5The dumping of mine tailings waste into the shallow coastal marine environment is currently before the National Court of Papua New Guinea, in a case that will have far-reaching implications. At stake are the pristine waters of the Bismarck Sea and the livelihoods of thousands of coastal inhabitants on one hand, and the future of mine waste disposal on the other: a number of other mine operators are reportedly waiting on the result before announcing their own plans for waste disposal.
While a decision may come as early as 15 April, the issues raised make the information timely and important regardless.
The newly-constructed Chinese nickel cobalt mine, coastal treatment facility, and submarine waste pipeline are fully constructed. The only thing standing in the way of operation is a temporary injunction, brought on behalf of 1081 local landowners, who fear that the proposed dumping threatens their livelihoods. They seek a permanent injunction against dumping, which would require the mining company to use some form of on-land waste disposal. Specifically, they fear that the pipe will leak waste into the local reef lagoon; that upwelling will carry a suspended fraction back up into the upper mixed layer and thence into the lagoon; or that the local fishery will be impacted by the discharges.
The waste pipe runs 450 metres from the shoreline out to the 150 metre isobath. The bottom slopes are fairly gentle: about 12˚ or less from the shore out to 1300 m, where the slope is less than 1˚. For part of the way, the path is constrained by the walls of a submarine canyon (Basamuk Canyon, located 40 km due SE of Madang, PNG, at the eastern side of Astrolabe Bay).
The dominant large scale oceanic features are: the strong New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent that flows west along the coast at about 200 metres depth; the New Guinea Coastal Current that reverses with the monsoons; and a wind-driven upwelling plume during the SE monsoon that spreads along the PNG coast (Cresswell, 2000). In the vicinity of the mine outfall, none of these appear to drive massive large-scale upwelling (Hasegawa et. al, 2010). However, progressive vector diagrams published in the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) (NSR, 1999 and Coffey enesar, 2007) show clear evidence of onshore drift near the seabed above the proposed outfall site at about 1 cm/s (750 metres/day). The drift is persistent; while it occasionally swings alongshore, it was seen most of the time and in all months of the year. If it continued onshore beyond the point of observation, it would advect a suspended fraction up into the base of the mixed layer and possibly beyond. The mixed layer is often as little as 30 metres vertically above the proposed outfall. Thus, the fears of the local landowners are well-founded.
Upwelling is not the only matter of concern in this case. The lateritic Ni and Co ore refinery solid tailings are predicted to form a sedimentary apron within the submarine canyon and seaward between the 500 and 1500 metre depth contours, over an area of at least 150 km2 of ocean floor, to a thickness of tens of meters. The area in which this occurs is within the “Coral Triangle”, an area described by marine biologists as having the highest diversity of corals, fish, crustaceans, molluscs and marine plant species in the world (Veron et al., 2009). SE Asian countries (including PNG) have vowed to protect and conserve this region of exceptional biodiversity. This region is also the location of one of the few healthy tuna fisheries in the ocean (Lehodey et al., 1997). Aside from a few scattered bottom samples, virtually nothing is known about the deep area that will be buried in Fe/Mn rich silty clay refinery tailings, that are enriched in a chemical soup of trace elements and refinery reagents. Submarine canyons are thought to be “hotspots” of poorly known biodiversity and biomass (DeLeo et al., 2010). It should be added that nearby larger mines are being developed; their owners are waiting on the outcome of this case before deciding on whether to use the same method of waste disposal, in the same submarine canyon. Finally, it has been suggested that the coastal treatment facility be expanded to process ore barged in from distant mines. Thus, quite a significant fraction of the continental slope of the Astrolabe Bay/Vitiaz Basin would be buried deeply in tailings waste. Regrettably, this method of deep sea tailing placement has already happened at Lihir and Misima Island, where significant areas of surface water and deep seafloor have been deleteriously impacted (SAMS 2010).
The mining company and its consultants have argued before the Court that, because the site is located in a seismically active and high rainfall zone with sharp topography, a conventional land-based tailings storage facility (TSF) is too expensive. This is due to the heavy engineering which is required for site investigations, design, construction, operations and then decommissioning a TSF in these conditions. The fact, however, that they readily acknowledge that TSFs have been built in similar contexts around the world – and safely – is proof that the primary driver for preferring marine waste dumping is cost – certainly not any alleged environmental risks of marine dumping versus land-based TSFs (which can be addressed by a good TSF engineer). With an above-ground, land-based TSF, the waste remains above ground and can be easily monitored – and, if deemed necessary, remedial action readily taken. If tailings are dumped into the marine environment, it is inconceivable that any remediation could ever be undertaken practically. Put simply, a land-based TSF would be close to a hundred times as expensive (or more) to build than marine dumping – yet marine tailings disposal has been approved without any understanding of its long-term costs.
The ecotoxicity testing upon which the EIA was based contained a number of flaws and deficiencies that seriously under-estimated risk.  Early toxicity tests were completed on temperate species using 0.45µm filtered tailings water.  Other tests completed after proposed changes to the ore processing included the use of some tropical marine species using 22µm filtered tailing water.  In the real world no organism will be exposed to filtered tailing waters. No tests exposed organisms to tailing filtrates for longer than 96 hours.  No tests were completed to investigate trophic transfer to contaminants. No mesocosm studies were completed. All toxicity tests were conducted in static water as opposed to flow through conditions. No tests were completed on whole tailing toxicity (i.e. equivalent to sediment toxicity tests) even though this was a recommendation made in a sub-consultants report. Furthermore consultants recommended safe dilution rates of tailings water to protect 95 per cent of species.  However these calculations had only 50 per cent confidence in their prediction – an  enormous uncertainty that does not give confidence in ensuring that species will not be harmed.
The PNG Department of Environment and Conservation, by their own admission are short on capacity, to either critically review Environmental Plans or to monitor the environmental performance of the mining industry.  Indeed the department has been treated somewhat as a ‘rubber-stamping’ agency by the small number of environmental consulting firms that monopolise the sector.  Despite warnings from both the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Mining about the problems in the miner’s EIA relating to adverse currents and the toxicity of tailings as far back as 1999, and despite several peer reviews and external assessments calling for substantial modifications and new data (mostly unheeded), the project remains essentially unchanged from that proposed a decade ago.  In a rather sad indictment of the parliamentary government response, the Environmental Act of Papua New Guinea was then revised implicitly to facilitate the dumping.
The case took a dramatic twist when Dr Tracy Shimmield, of the Scottish Academy of Marine Sciences (SAMS), took the stand on behalf of the mine owners, to testify that the best way to test for upwelling would be to start dumping as soon as instruments could be placed in the field to observe the effect. This, she suggested, would proceed for some months, after which instruments would be retrieved and upwelling and tailings dispersion assessed. It emerged that SAMS itself had been contracted to perform the fieldwork and analysis. Dr Shimmield’s affidavit further proposes that SAMS continue to monitor the behaviour of the tailings plume on the assumption that the tailings dumping continues indefinitely. The Shimmield affidavit strongly supports marine tailings dumping as an alternative to on-land storage, repeatedly stressing that the majority of the waste ends up in deep water. (This logic has an interesting history. About a decade ago, in the face of a series of submarine tailings pipe breakages resulting in ecological and human health catastrophes, the proponents of marine tailings dumping began insisting that the practice be referred to as “Deep Sea Tailings Placement” (DSTP) in order to emphasise the final “deep and still” resting place of the majority of the waste. While the new title may detract attention from the pipe breaks and upwelling issues, it ignores the fact that abundant, and almost completely unexplored, life exists on and within the deep sea bed that is destroyed by burial.)
Dr Shimmield revealed under cross-examination that SAMS will also be paid by the World Bank to produce a set of guidelines to assist governments in setting conditions for marine dumping of mine waste.
The timing of the proposed guidelines, and their announcement before the Court, also has an interesting history. In 2003, the World Bank produced the “Extractive Industries Review” (World Bank, 2003), which concluded that:
  • Submarine tailings disposal (STD) is currently the waste disposal procedure preferred by many mining companies planning large-scale operations in mountainous areas of active seismicity, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. If major projects proposed for the region receive permission to use STD, there could be a significant increase in its use in the next 10 years for already approved and proposed large-scale mining operations. This is also a critical region of maximum marine biodiversity and thus of global marine conservation significance. The effects of STD (if any) on tropical marine life, marine resource use, and ecosystem function are not well understood, and there is an urgent need to address the major gap in biological data on the possible effects of STD on tropical marine ecosystems, particularly in the Indo-Pacific deep sea. On the basis of the precautionary principle, since marine biodiversity has global conservation significance and since the possible effects of STD on the tropical marine ecosystem are not well understood, STD should be avoided especially in island regions where this method of disposal may not assure people’s sustainable livelihoods.
  • Almost all STD operations worldwide, whether disposing at shallow depths or in the deep sea, have had problems, including pipe breaks, wider than expected dispersal of tailings in the sea, smothering of the benthic organisms (although this is predicted) and loss of biodiversity, increased turbidity, introduction to the sea and marine biota of metals and milling agents (chemicals, such as cyanide, detergents, and frothing agents), and loss of potentially re-mine-able metals from tailings in the deep sea.
  • The EIR heard numerous other concerns about current as well as anticipated environmental and socioeconomic impacts of submarine tailings disposal in Southeast Asia. STD presents an inherent economic risk to local and export fisheries, for example, because of real or perceived contamination of marine resources. It may affect large and often endangered marine life, including whales, dolphins, and marine turtles, and it may raise the risks to human health through direct or indirect exposure to mining wastes. Mining procedures such as STD may have a negative impact on numerous other important socioeconomic and environmental factors, ranging from reduced marine tourism potential to additional, often illegal small-scale mining activities by opportunistic individuals. Environmental impact assessments of mining operations with STD as their main mechanism for waste management do not adequately assess any adverse effects in the deep sea and marine food web, and such potential impacts should be included in the scope and terms of reference for such studies.
The timing of the Shimmield guideline-drafting contract is concerning, because its announcement (before the Court) maximizes the degree to which it undermines the landowners’ case. While the Review does not completely reject the option of “Submarine Tailings Disposal” as they call it, there is a big leap between leaving a door open a crack (as in the Review) and flinging it open with an effective endorsement, which in a country like PNG, with very weak regulatory controls, is precisely the effect of a new set of guidelines issued by a world body.
In response to queries from the authors, the World Bank has stated:
“This (support for the new guidelines) does not imply any form of approval (of  STD) by the World Bank, but demonstrates that should the Government go down this path, then the Bank supports the establishment of a regulatory framework which minimizes any potential environmental impacts from whatever tailings management system which is adopted by the Sovereign State of Papua New Guinea.  The Bank’s assistance is motivated by a desire to see that permits issued through that ‘normal’ process are then also subjected to further site-specific stringent requirements, to strengthen ability to hold industry accountable and responsible in discharging their permitted activities.”
It may be that in certain future circumstances the guidelines will have a positive impact. For example, in a developed country, in which there exists the capacity and political will to enforce them, they might make a useful framework to deny permission to dump wastes in coastal seas. However, nearly all developed countries have either explicitly or effectively banned the practice of shallow marine dumping of mine tailings waste (STD/DSTP). Even in countries like PNG, a generally-excellent set of laws exists. The only problem is that they are not enforced, or enforced poorly. So however lofty the stated goals of the World Bank, their effect will be to simply facilitate a practice that – like many early forms of industrial pollution  – should be consigned to the dustbin of history.
The situation, as it currently stands, is that a state-funded European institution is being paid by a foreign mining company and/or a foreign national government agency to not just monitor but to actively advocate in Court marine pollution on a massive scale (covering perhaps hundreds of square kilometres of seabed with potentially toxic waste), a practice which almost certainly would not be tolerated in their home country, while at the same time being paid by the World Bank to produce guidelines to govern when and how the dumping should be done – guidelines which (if followed) would have disallowed the particular mine outfall they hope to monitor.
While scientific institutions increasingly have to chase the dollar to survive, as scientists we have to be able to say no when profitable consultancies become ethically questionable, or when our actions in faraway places can leave a poisonous legacy for generations to come.
The authors of this report were called by the landowners to provide unpaid “expert witness” testimony in their case to get a permanent injunction against the shallow marine dumping at Astrolabe Bay.
1South Australian Research and Development Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia
284 Alligator Creek Road, Alligator Creek, QLD 4816, Australia
3Environmental Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
4School of Environmental Science and Management, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia
5Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia and University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, PNG
References
Cresswell, G. (2000) Coastal currents of northern Papua New Guinea, and the Sepik River outflow. Mar. Freshwater Res., 2000, 51, 553–64.
Coffey enesar (2007) Environmental Baseline Report, Ramu Nickel Project. CR 161_33_v2., pp1-63, plus Appendices 1-14.
De Leo, Fabio C., Craig R. Smith, Ashley A. Rowden, David A. Bowden and Malcolm R. Clark (2010) Submarine canyons: hotspots of benthic biomass and productivity in the deep sea. Proc. R. Soc. B 2010 277:2783-2792. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0462.
Hasegawa, T., A. Kentaro, K. Mizuno, R. Lukas, B. Taguchi, and H. Sasaki (2010) Coastal upwelling along the north coast of Papua New Guinea and El Niño events during 1981–2005. Ocean Dynamics, DOI 10.1007/s10236-010-0334-y.
Lehodey, P., M. Bertignac, J. Hampton, A. Lewis, and J. Picaut (1997) El Nino Southern Oscillation and tuna in the western Pacific. Nature 389:715-718.
NSR (1999) Ramu Nickel Project Environmental Plan, Volume A: Executive Summary. CR 161/9/v4 plus Appendices 1-25.
SAMS (2010) Independent Evaluation of Deep-Sea Mine Tailings Placement (DSTP) in PNG. Scottish Academy of Marine Science, Project Number: 8.ACP.PNG.18-B/15. http://www.mpi.org.au/submarine-tailings-disposal.aspx
Striking a Better Balance: Volume I. The World Bank Group and Extractive Industries. The Final Report of the Extractive Industries Review, December, 2003.
Veron, J., L. Devantier, E. Turak, A. Green, S. Kininmonth, M. Stafford-Smith, and N. Peterson (2009) Delineating the Coral Triangle. Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies 11: 91-100.
This is an updated article originally published on Papua New Guinea Mine Watch - this updated version is from Science Alert
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Stavanger Meeting 25.04-27.04.2012

mi.ttu.ee/min-novation

What is Mining Waste?

http://www.miningdistributors.com/what-is-mining-waste/


Mining Distributors

What is Mining Waste?

The question, ‘what is mining waste‘ comes up very often, especially after all the mining incidents that have occurred in recent years. Waste that is produced from the extraction and processing of mining resources is known as mining waste. Mining waste is composed of both rocks, minerals and waste solutions that are dug up when miners are trying to get to source of the minerals. These mining waste solutions are not considered to be a health risk or pollutant to the environment, but they aren’t kept as is. In many cases, waste from mining projects are taken to another waste site where they are dumped underground.
There are several other types of mineral mining projects that actually produce dangerous mining waste that could lead to serious situations, both to the environment and people. Due to their high level of danger, these types of mining waste debris are kept protected. When mining companies work underground, they need to build a drainage system that controls the acidic and alkaline drainage problem. If there isn’t a proper waste management system at a mining site, it can lead to serious problems for the workers at the site.
The remedial measures that go into fixing mining waste incidents can be very detrimental and could end up costing millions of dollars. They not only leave the city with a financial struggle, but it imposes a socio-economic distress as well. With modern day solutions, there are regulations in place which ensure that all mining waste from sites are drained and carried out in the way they should. In some cases, mining companies could lose their licence for not obeying the rules and regulations set forth by the city and its mining board. So, to answer the big question, “What is mining waste“, your answer should be in the first paragraph.
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EC Introduction to Mining Waste


Mining Waste

Introduction
Waste from extractive operations (i.e. waste from extraction and processing of mineral resources) is one of the largest waste streams in the EU. It involves materials that must be removed to gain access to the mineral resource, such as topsoil, overburden and waste rock, as well as tailings remaining after minerals have been largely extracted from the ore.
slag heapSome of these wastes are inert and hence not likely to represent a significant pollutant threat to the environment save for smothering of river beds and possible collapse if stored in large quantities. However, other fractions, in particular those generated by the non-ferrous metal mining industry, may contain large quantities of dangerous substances, such as heavy metals. Through the extraction and subsequent mineral processing, metals and metal compounds tend to become chemically more available, which can result in the generation of acid or alkaline drainage. Moreover, the management of tailings is an intrinsically risky activity, often involving residual processing chemicals and elevated levels of metals. In many cases tailings are stored on heaps or in large ponds, where they are retained by means of dams. The collapse of dams or heaps may have serious impacts on environment and human health and safety. Examples of this are the accidents in Aberfan (Wales, 1966), Stava ( Italy, 1985), Aznalcóllar (Spain, 1998), Baia Mare and Baia Borsa (Romania, 2000). Other likely significant impacts relate to the physical footprints of waste disposal facilities and resulting loss of land productivity, effects on ecosystems, dust and erosion.
These impacts can have lasting environmental and socio-economic consequences and be extremely difficult and costly to address through remedial measures. Wastes from the extractive industries have therefore to be properly managed in order to ensure in particular the long-term stability of disposal facilities and to prevent or minimise any water and soil pollution arising from acid or alkaline drainage and leaching of heavy metals.
A comprehensive framework for the safe management of waste from extractive industries at EU level is now in place comprising:
  • Directive 2006/21/EC on the management of waste from the extractive industries (the mining waste directive).
  • a Best Available Techniques reference document for the management of tailings and waste-rock in mining activities; and
  • an amendment of the Seveso II Directive to include in its scope mineral processing of ores and, in particular, tailings ponds or dams used in connection with such mineral processing.
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EC Mining Waste Web page


Mining Waste

Community legislation

Summary of EU legislation on mining waste
Implementing measures
In accordance with Article 22(1) of the Directive, the Commission has adopted by Comitology the following implementing measures:
  1. Commission Decision 2009/337/EC on the Criteria for the classification of waste facilities in accordance with Annex III, adopted on 20/04/09, published on 22/04/09 (L 102, page 7)
  2. Commission Decision 2009/335/EC on the Technical guidelines for the establishment of the financial guarantee, adopted on 20/04/09, published on 21/04/09 (L 101, page 25)
  3. Commission Decision 2009/360/EC completing the technical requirements for waste characterisation, adopted on 30/04/09, published on 1/05/09 (L 110, page 48)
  4. Commission Decision 2009/359/EC on the Definition of inert waste in implementation of Article 22 (1)(f), adopted on 30/04/09, published on 1/05/09 (L110, page 46)
  5. Commission Decision 2009/358/EC on the Harmonisation, the regular transmission of the information and the questionnaire referred to in Articles 22(1) (a) and 18, adopted on 29/04/09, published on 1/05/09 (L 110, page 39)
In accordance with Article 22 (1) (b and f), the Commission has also given a mandate to CEN in order to develop the required standardised sampling and analysing methods.
Preparatory work
Studies
  • The Commission has launched a study in January 2011 a study aiming at establishing guidance on inspection activities, exchange of information of rehabilitation of the closed and abandoned facilities and assessing the utility of updating the best available technique reference document (see terms of references of the study). A consortium led by DHI Denmark (lead person: M Ole Hjelmar, oh@dhigroup.com) and including Cantab Consulting Ltd, University of Tartu, Mecsek-Öko, VTT and Miskolc University was designed after a call for tender. Two seminars will be organised in the framework of the implementation of the study, one on inspection and another on the rehabilitation of the abandoned and closed facilities. The final report is expected by early 2012.
  • Management of mining, quarrying and ore-processing waste in the European Union
    Final Report (pdf ~1,160K)
    Annexes     (pdf ~840K)
  • A study on the costs of improving the management of mining waste
    Executive summary (pdf ~ 40K)
    Final report (pdf ~ 460 K)
  • Study on the "Classification of mining waste facilities" (pdf ~5,550K)
  • Study on Financial Guarantees and Inspections - Montec April 2008
    Final Report (pdf ~750K)
    Annexes (zip ~1,010K)
Other relevant EU legislation
  • Seveso II Directive Directive 2003/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2003 amending Council Directive 96/82/EC on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances
  • Directive 2006/12/EC (pdf ~ 387 KB) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2006 on waste (Waste Framework Directive)
  • Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste
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