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Paste Backfill Technology: Essential Characteristics and Assessment of its Application for Mill Rejects of Uranium Ores

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Abstract

This paper attempts to portray the status of mine backfill technology for disposal/handling of mill rejects, more specifically the paste backfill (PB) type, a highly relevant aspect in modern day mining industry. To date only a limited number of mines have implemented the PB systems all over the world and in India it is in nascent stage. Characterization of the mill tailings is identified as one of the key elements for design of paste backfill system. The physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics of mill tailings which influence the paste backfill quality and performance are discussed. The driver for this scientific investigation is to explore the applicability of PB system to solid mill tailings of uranium ores, in specific for those which are lean in tenor and ground to very-fine sizes for facilitating adequate liberation of valuable minerals from the  host matrix. Some of the outstanding technical issues related to the reliability of PB system design are also discussed emphasizing the need for future advancement of PB technology.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to authorities of UCIL, in specific Engineers of mining department for many useful discussions during this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India

    Debasis Deb & Sandeep Panchal

  2. Mineral Processing Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Hyderabad, 500016, India

    Sreenivas T

  3. Materials Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, India

    Gautam K. Dey

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  1. Debasis Deb
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  2. Sreenivas T
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  4. Sandeep Panchal
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Correspondence to Sreenivas T.

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Deb, D., T, S., Dey, G.K. et al. Paste Backfill Technology: Essential Characteristics and Assessment of its Application for Mill Rejects of Uranium Ores. Trans Indian Inst Met 70, 487–495 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12666-016-0999-0

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