OBJECTIVES ● Demonstrate the benefits of integrating commingling into mine planning, positioning waste rock and tailings management as a strategic driver for decision-making in open-pit operations. ● Optimize operational efficiency and environmental sustainability through the adoption of commingling in waste rock and tailings management. ● Align waste rock and tailings management with international sustainability and safety standards, such as the GISTM, through the application of commingling. ● Analyze, through comparative case studies, the impact of commingling on land-use optimization and mine life extension. ● Reduce capital and operating costs associated with waste rock and tailings disposal by implementing commingling technologies. ● Present the key findings and lessons learned from the integration of commingling into long-term mine planning. TECHNICAL FOUNDATIONS OF COMMINGLING IN MINE PLANNING Desing Principles and Material Characterization Commingling at Antamina is based on engineering principles that seek to combine the superior structural properties of waste rock with the low permeability characteristics of tailings (Boshoff, 2023). This combination results in a material with shear strength similar to waste rock and permeability comparable to tailings, creating conditions that restrict oxygen entry and water filtration, significantly reducing the potential for acid drainage generation (Ulrich & Coffin, 2015; Burden & Wilson, 2023). The characterization of commingled material is performed through analysis of five distinct structural configurations: rock-dominated uncompacted, fines-dominated uncompacted, rock-dominated compacted, fines-dominated compacted, and the "just-filled" configuration where fines exactly fill the voids between rock particles (Burden & Wilson, 2023). This latter configuration represents the optimal target of the commingling process at Antamina. Figure 1 Blend configurations after Wickland et al. (2006). Source: Burden & Wilson (2023). 101
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0Mzk2