- Mine suitability assessments for the stowage of industrial wastes using backfill technology
- Material suitability assessments of industrial and processing wastes for underground backfilling
- Preparation of expert reports necessary for the permitting of underground waste disposal operations
Department for Mining and Waste Management
When a greenfield mining project cannot impact the environment...
… either due to environmental permitting constraints or unfavourable public perception, our vision of a new sustainable mining paradigm will suit your needs. The Department for Waste Management and Backfilling Technology can support you in the design and engineering of combined extractive and backfill operations which allow maximizing the resource extraction ratio while minimizing or even eliminating the need for waste heaps and discharges. Using extractive and ore processing wastes as a valuable resource for an engineered backfilling material, it is possible to either decrease the pillar to room volume ratio, introduce a pillar robbing strategy or even apply longwall mining technology with backfilling of the goaf.
When a mine’s productive life is at an end …
… it is usually a long time before the mine closure phase is completed. In addition to the rehabilitation and recultivation of used land and tailings heaps/ponds and the sealing of shafts and drifts, an important aspect of mine closure is securing the underground mine openings to minimize gradual and/or sudden subsidence risk. Using engineered mixtures of processing and/or industrial wastes it is possible to backfill the mine openings thereby limiting their convergence. The Department for Waste Management and Backfilling Technology assists mine operators in formulating backfill mixtures, process development, materials testing, continuous improvement of backfill operations and quality control.
Special challenges call for individual solutions …
… in particular for the mining of saline geological horizons. Standard construction materials based on cement or gypsum are not always suitable in saline environments on account of their lack of long-term (chemical) stability due to complex dissolution processes. Consequently, special construction and injection materials with a proven long-term stability are needed for the sealing of shafts, drifts, boreholes and headings. The Department for Waste Management and Backfilling Technology develops such special construction materials and sealing concepts for clients in the salt mining, industrial waste stowage and nuclear repository industries on a case-by-case basis.
range of services
Suitability assessment of industrial and processing wastes for backfill and landfill
Show lessMore Consultancy and general services
Show lessMore- Support of clients through the development of waste management strategies
- Advice on the permitting of (underground) waste stowage and disposal operations
- Containment risk assessments and long-term safety proof for the stowage and disposal of chemo-toxic wastes in salt rock
- Preparation of safety data sheets and operating instructions for engineered backfill materials
- Chemical/physical characterization of waste materials for stowage and disposal
- Environmental Impact Assessments
Development of engineered sealing, construction and injection materials for (underground) mining
Show lessMore- Formulation of required chemical/physical properties for dry and hydraulic backfill materials
- Preparation of processing technology design parameters for backfilling operations
- Long-term proof of (chemical) stability of engineered materials
- Long-term proof of host rock suitability
- Assessment and evaluation of gas emission potential of backfill materials based on industrial wastes
- Development of engineered materials based on saline solutions and salt-based binder systems with a particular focus on magnesium oxide (MgO) based systems
- Development of particle-free supersaturated saline solutions as injection media
- Development of special construction materials with expanse and self-healing properties for the application in mining and borehole (also oil and gas) sealing operations
- Development of construction materials with the ability to saturate in-flowing brines thus avoiding dissolution of sealing elements in underground openings
Process development and plant design
Show lessMore- Test work on laboratory and pilot plant scale for backfill production and placement processes
- Complete engineering of backfill production and placement processes from scoping up to Basic Engineering level
- Coordination of Detailed Engineering in cooperation with reputable partners and equipment manufacturing companies
- Commissioning of backfill plants including the training of clients’ personnel and the development of operating instructions and manuals
- Development of seal monitoring strategies and their practical implementation
Backfill and construction material testing laboratory services
Show lessMore- Particle size distribution analyses using sieving techniques, laser particle sizer and photo-optical particle size analysis methods
- Determination of true, bulk and tapped density of solids, fluid density and Proctor density
- Compressive, direct shear and tensile strength testing of materials
- Measurement of elastic modulus of materials
- Compaction behavior testing of materials (over both accelerated and extended time intervals)
- Oedometer testing, setting behavior, swelling and shrinkage determination
- Determination of rheological properties of fluids and slurries (viscosity, flow characteristics and pumping behavior under controlled temperature conditions)
- Determination of gas emissions from backfill mixtures based on industrial wastes (quality and quantity)
- Testing under climatic controlled conditions
- Abrasion measurements on granulates
- Granulation behavior of solids with varying moisture content
- Strength testing on individual grains of solid materials
- Binding process characterisation (required time, heat generation)
- Pore fluid extraction and chemical characterisation
- Mixability and dissolution characterisation of solids
- Client-specific testing and experiments at laboratory- and pilot-scale
Selected customers and partners
| DESCRIPTION | PARTNER | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| Process Design for Production of SOP Based on Polymineralic Potassium-Magnesium Salt from the "Nivenskiy-1st. deposit in Kaliningrad Region / Russia including the development of a suitable backfill mixture and design of the backfill plant and transport infrastructure. | LLC K-Potash Service | Russia |
| Process Design of disposal and backfill plants for above ground and underground disposal of hazardous waste material in gypsum pits and a salt mine. | Tellus Holdings Ltd. | Australia |
| Technical concept for the treatment of production water and tailings pile water from the Werra and Neuhof-Ellers plants with the aim of SOP production and cost estimation - design of the backfilling plant. Technical concept (Scoping Design) for stacking the process water of the Werra plant in the Springen mine field. | K+S KALI GmbH | Germany |
| Preparation of a feasibility study on the possibilities of landfilling flotation sludges from the treatment of copper ores as an alternative to the construction of sludge ponds with simultaneous optimisation of water recovery. | Centre for Mining and Metallurgical Research (CIMM) | Chile |
| Development of backfill building material recipes for use in the Spremberg-Graustein-Schleife copper deposit with and without the use of tailings from the copper processing plant. | KSL Kupferschiefer Lausitz GmbH | Germany |
| Conceptual Study Backfill Mixture Development and Adaptation of the Existing Gypsum Plant. | Kazznic Ltd. | Kazakhstan |
| Feasibility study on the Development and Optimisation of backfilling recipes as well as feasibility study for a backfilling plant and infrastructur regarding the Pilot Stabilization Carverns Twente (PSCT). | Akzo Nobel Industrial Chemicals B.V. | Netherlands |
Contact us for a complete list of industry- and product-specific references or take a look at our list of selected customers.
Reports and publications
Reports and publications can be found in our DOWNLOAD page.
Your contact persons
Head of Department
DIPL.-CHEM. DITTMAR LACK
Disposal and Backfill Materials
dittmar.lack(at)k-utec.de
Deputy Head of Department
DIPL.-CHEM. ANNETT LINDENAU
Disposal and Backfill Materials
annett.lindenau(at)k-utec.de
Secretary
Daniela Lack
Tel: +49 (0)3632 610 141
Fax: +49 (0)3632 610 105
daniela.lack(at)k-utec.de
