What happens when mines fail?

The global mining industry accounts for more than 7% of global GDP, or approximately $6 trillion USD. However, it is always fraught with environmental hazards. According to McKinsey & Co. estimates from January, mining is responsible for 4% to 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions in terms of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. Industrial-scale mine waste storage dams are collapsing with increasing frequency and severity, killing communities and ecosystems. A single lithium-ion electric vehicle battery pack is reported to contain approximately 16kg of lithium, 46kg of nickel, 46kg of cobalt, and 43kg of manganese.

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Mines can cause massive pollution, especially if they are not properly managed. Mines pose significant environmental risks that, if not addressed properly, can result in long-term environmental damage. According to global news wire, global mining market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.0% from $1843.33 billion in 2021 to $2064.72 billion in 2022. 

With rising prices and soaring revenues, mines are doing little to protect and safeguard the interests of the community and the environment, the same environment which they used to amass such fortunes. The number of mine failures is increasing. According to Statista, mining fatalities increased from 25 to 37 between 2016 and 2021. Carbon dioxide emissions have also been increasing. The tailings dam has been a major source of concern for mines. It has been a major contributor to mining environmental disasters.

What are mine tailings?

Waste products that are left over after a mineral has been extracted from the earth. It is a byproduct of mining that consists of the processed rock or soil that remains after the separation of valuable commodities from the rock or soil in which they occur. Following the extraction of ore from the earth, in a processing plant or mill, the waste stream produced after extracting the valuable commodity from the ore material is known as "tailings." This includes things like rock, soil, and water, as well as any chemicals or toxins that may be present in the ore.

Major tailing dam failures

Buffalo creek disaster: An accident that occurred on February 26, 1972, when the Pittston Coal Company's coal slurry impoundment dam collapsed on a hillside in Logan County, West Virginia (USA). The dam collapsed due to days of torrential rain. The full impact of the accident is unknown, but it was estimated to have over 100 fatalities and cost $60 million in damages.

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Stava tailings dam failure: On July 19, 1985, the fluorite tailings dam of Prealpi Mineraia in Stava, Trento, Italy, failed. It was caused by a lack of stability checks performed by either the company or the government. 200,000 m3 of tailings flowed downstream at up to 90 km/h, killing 268 people and destroying 62 structures. The total affected surface area was 43.5 hectares.

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Baia Mare tailings dam failure: A tailings dam failure at the Aurul S.A. plant in Baia Mare, Romania, on January 30, 2000, resulted in the release of 100,000 m3 of cyanide-contaminated liquid into the Lapus stream, a tributary of the Somes/Szamos, Tisza/Theiss, and Danube Rivers, killing tonnes of fish and poisoning the drinking water of more than 2 million people in Hungary. It was caused once again by heavy rain and melting snow.

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Mount polley mine tailings dam failure: The worst mining disaster in British Columbia occurred on August 4, 2014. The Mount Polley Mine's tailings dam failed, releasing approximately 17 million cubic metres of water and 8 million cubic metres of tailings/materials into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek, and Quesnel Lake. It was the result of foundation failure.

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‍ScienceDirect says that since 1915, there have been a total of 257 failures, with 2650 fatalities and 250 million m3 of contaminated residues released into the environment. Almost half of the released volumes were recorded after the year 2000.

Eliminating these risks

These findings show that the problem of safely storing mine waste is growing in size and complexity. Currently, there are few services and systems that can help the stakeholders monitor the situation of these tailings but the problem with mining industry is unavailability of skilled manpower who can help analyze the data received by these sensors and systems. Here’s where Ceco comes in. We use geospatial technology and help you eliminate these risks by not only monitoring the tailing dams and providing you with the best way to dispose of and store the mine tailings but also provide very easy to digest data for the stakeholders by integrating IoT sensors and AI technology.  

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