USE OF GEOSYNTHETICS FOR DEWATERING, CONTAINEMENT AND DISPOSAL OF MINING SLUDGE

Whether it is sludge produced by the technological process of flotation, sludge tailings or sludge produced in another process, which contains pollutants such as heavy metals, it is necessary to dispose it in a controlled manner to reduce the risk for contamination of environment. Mining sludge has been disposed in open basins for decades, recently with measures taken to reduce the possibility of leakage or spillage of toxic contents into the environment. Reduction of the space for permanent disposal of sludge and significant reduction of the risk of spreading contamination is achieved using geosynthetics. In this paper, we will present the concept of dewatering and permanent storage of mining sludge in woven geotextile tubes, as well as the concept of using geosynthetic materials for the safe closure of mining sludge lagoons. Both concepts presented in the paper are accompanied by one case study.