Materials, Methods & Technologies, Volume 8, 2014

Abstract: Tailings pond is a main sources of mine hazards, so it is of utmost important to choose a reasonable discharge and damming methods for tailing pond management. Paste discharge is a brand new technology which has received its fast development recently, and it is especially popular among the mines for merits, such as environment-friendly, water recovery, stable damming and so on. Since 2012 research and development program has started to establish the opportunities for obtaining lead-zinc dewatered tailings from Lucky Invest Dressing Plant, located in the Eastern Rhodopes Mountain of Bulgaria. In a previous work in the frame of the research program have been proved that the new cyclone modifications have a potential in dewatering technology of flotation tailings. The objective of the new test program was to determine the dewatering capability of Derrick HI-G Dryer Fines Recovery System at optimum operating conditions. Based on the pilot experimental results it was established the possibilities to obtain flotation dewatered tailings with 80.0% solids content. It appears that the Derrick HI-G Dryer Fines Recovery System can be a basic device in new tailings pond elimination technology.