Análise da disposição de rejeitos sob a forma de pasta

Abstract

Increased explotation of deposits with less mineral content and the consequent generation of a greater volume of tailings, the scarcity of water resources for mining activities and environmental legislation increasingly stringent, globally, are some of the irreversible trends in the mining industry. The conventional alternatives for tailings disposal in dams generate large environmental and social impact, and there is a natural restriction of environmental agencies for approval of new projects that consider this solution. The present study shows a brief literature review on the techniques used for the disposal of tailings from the mineral processing, in addition to present a case study proposing the use of a multi-criteria decision making tool to support the selection of the most appropriate tailings disposal system for a hypothetical scenario proposed. It was concluded in the case studied that tailings disposal in the form of paste can be the most appropriate choice in situations where environmental factors have great importance, as for projects located in regions where there is difficulty in obtaining environmental permits, and water scarcity.