42 Figure 10 – CPB full-scale day 2 mixes UCS 4.3 Cement, water and tailings metrics When scaled to the mine’s annual backfill volume, the optimized mix delivered: • Cement consumption reduction of 25 %, according to CPB actual production; • Water reduction of about 7–8 %, equivalent to an estimation of 30 million liters saved per year; • Solids increase of approximately 2.5 %, translating into roughly 7–8 % more tailings mass placed underground. These improvements were achieved without compromising pumpability and UCS performance, according to existing CPB plant capabilities. 5. DISCUSSION 5.1 Contribution to “faster, smarter, more responsible” mining From the perspective of the WMC theme, the Cerro Lindo work demonstrates: • Faster: improved early-age strength supports shorter waiting periods before exposing backfill or mining adjacent stopes, contributing to more efficient production cycles. • Smarter: applying advanced rheology control and site-specific laboratory testing allowed the team to redesign the CPB mix based on evidence rather than rules of thumb, making better use of existing assets. • More responsible: reduced cement and water use, higher tailings reuse and lower CO₂ emissions directly enhance the mine’s environmental performance and its ability to build trust with stakeholders. 5.2 Design principles for admixture-enabled CPB
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