The 4th International Symposium on Mine Safety Science and Engineering (ISMSSE2018)

377 / 2018-06-01 22:08:41

Circular statistical models in the study of the atmospheric dispersion of particles from mining tailings dams

mining tailing dams, atmospheric dispersion,. weather parameters, circular statistical models

Mine Safety Science Theory and Emergency Rescue > Mine safety Informatization

This paper is based on research for the project REMINE that was funded with public national funds from “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia – FCT”, (Portugal) under the programme for International Cooperation ERA-NET, supported by ERA-MIN (2011-2015), funded under the EU 7th Framework Programme FP7-NMP having also for partners the Technical University of Luleå (Sweden) and the National Institute for Metals and Radioactive Resources (INCDMRR), Romania.
The REMINE principal proposal deals with the processing of mining tailings, for the extraction of critical metals and with separation of minerals, in order to minimize the amount of harmful mine waste and recover metals. A range of historical mine wastes from different geographic locations have been selected and will be subjected to this approach. This brings a strong possibility of short term industrial application. Innovation is within the concept of such a "tool box" for tailings reprocessing and high value materials recovery. However the atmospheric dispersion of particles from mining tailings dams is an environmental problem that must be considered.
Using a case study (a tailings dams of the old mining explotation of the wolframite, Cabeço do Pião - Portugal) and based on the data of the local meteorological station (rain, windspeed, winddirection, airpressure, humidity and temperature) circular statistical models were built to study and understand the atmospheric dispersion of the particles from mining tailings dams.