Economic and environmental impacts of utilising a pre-concentration process in underground metal mining

Abstract

The mining industry has increasingly implemented new technologies to continue to achieve greater efficiencies and cost reduction. The integration of mining and pre-concentration technologies is considered to be one of the most logical approaches to improve the technical and economic efficiencies in mining. The subsequent flow-on effects have also generated positive environmental and social implications to further enhance the overall sustainability of the operation. There exist many efforts regarding the implementation of pre-concentration processes into open pit mines together with the respective economic impacts of this particularly in the reduction of grinding and processing costs. On the other hand, few attempts have been reported regarding the implementation of pre-concentration processes into underground operations. The benefits of the integration of a pre-concentration process into underground mining are not only reflected by significant decreases in surface processing and flotation costs, but also via the more effective management of waste through its handling and subsequent transportation costs, which is the main focus of this paper. This paper reviews the main impacts of utilising a pre-concentration process in underground mining and also presents a conceptual model for the investigation of waste management in sublevel stoping method (SLS) for backfilling purposes across various scenarios. The results are investigated and further developments are recommended.