Figure 50 Water Efficiency and Closure Implications Water management and mine closure are two of the most consequential drivers shaping tailings strategy selection. Across all reviewed documents, water emerges as both a critical operational input and one of the industry’s most tightly constrained environmental resources. Tailings facilities are the largest water sinks in mining, and the degree of dewatering applied fundamentally shapes water demand, energy consumption, long-term liability, and closure outcomes. Filtered tailings—while not the only improved option—consistently demonstrate the highest efficiencies and the most favourable closure pathways when compared against conventional slurry, thickened, and paste deposition. Water as a Critical Constraint in Modern Mining The Use of real options to enhance water-energy nexus in mine tailings management (Araya et al. Elsevier 2021) study identifies tailings facilities as the dominant water retention point in a mining operation. The authors highlight that conventional tailings disposal requires water contents near 70%, locking substantial water within the TSF and reducing overall process water availability. By contrast, thickened and filtered tailings dramatically reduce this water retention, enabling increased recycling and decreasing dependence on fresh or desalinated supplies. In arid regions such as northern Chile or Peru—areas prominent in the (Vargas & Campomanes Minerals 2022) case studies—water scarcity significantly influences technology selection. Filtered tailings, with typical moisture contents of 10–20%, return the highest proportion of water to the plant, reducing both raw water intake and the energy associated with long-distance pumping of make-up water. Dewatering, therefore, is not only an environmental choice but also an operational necessity for mines dependent on seawater desalination or constrained by strict watershed regulations. Energy and Water: A Coupled Decision Framework Water supply and energy consumption are tightly interlinked. In Chile, for example, supplying desalinated water requires long pipelines and high pumping energy. Araya et al. demonstrate that the overall cost of water is often undervalued, and that integrating water and tailings decisions through a real options framework can materially change long-term cost projections and reduce financial risk.
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