Disposal of mining waste by blasting

Russia yet lacks a mature branch-wise sci-tech and industrial potential and R&D infrastructure in the field of treatment, neutralization and disposal of hazardous waste, and incurs a deficit of technologies for using secondary resources. This article proposes the disposal method for hazardous mining waste by blasting using condensed solid or liquid explosives. Waste is placed in containers arranged inside blast hole charges or in the near-field of blast effect. It is also possible to place chemically compatible inflammables or oxidizers in the containers with waste. Waste containing metals, rare earths and other usable matter are recommended to neutralize and process at the mines that produce these minerals, metals and useful matter contained in the waste. Such substances include any post-mining and post-processing materials which are difficult or unprofitable to extract from waste using other methods. It is proposed to treat and neutralize hazardous waste with associate recovery of metals and other elements to be subject to beneficiation and conversion with a view to further recycling. The result of application of the proposed method is expected to be environmental improvement.