Validation of testing procedures and the simulation of filtration performance with tailings

The dry stacking of tailings utilising filtration to produce stackable tailings is increasingly becoming the focus of discussion and decision-making in mining operations. Sustainability, safe storage complying with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (Global Tailings Review 2020) and optimising freshwater consumption are of increasing importance. Traditionally the filterability of mineral concentrator tailings is primarily achieved through physical testing to determine the capacity and moisture achievable with the process requirements generally defined by tailings disposal constraints. Filtration experiments performed in the laboratory on simulated samples is the most common method of predicting industrial-scale filter performance and for the generation of samples for geotechnical testing. The experimental results from differing scale test equipment are presented in this paper to illustrate the procedures that have been developed to predict filter performance. These results are then compared to fullscale filters to validate scale-up factors that can be used as a means of optimising the performance of existing equipment and predicting the performance of new equipment.