Strategies for remediation of very large deposits of mine waste; the Aitik mine, Northern Sweden

• Main Author: Manfred Lindvall
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Gällivare; Copper Mine; Northern Sweden
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.399.8300; http://epubl.ltu.se/1402-1757/2005/72/LTU-LIC-0572-SE.pdf

The Aitik mine, near Gällivare in Sweden, is the largest copper mine in Europe with an annual production exceeding 18 Mt of ore. After processing of the ore the residual waste material, so called tailings, are deposited in a tailings pond. In addition, 15 – 25 Mt of barren waste rock is mined annually in order to provide access to the ore. The waste rock is deposited in waste rock dumps located close to the mine. The production started 1968, and very large quantities of waste have been accumulated since. A comprehensive set of strategies for management and decommissioning of the waste deposits have been developed, based on studies, investigations and tests carried out by Boliden, as well as independent consultants and universities, since the first permit regulating reclamation issues came into force 1989. During operation of the mine, the emissions to the receiving environment are limited. During a normal year, the effluent contains less than 50 kg of copper. However the internal circulation of copper is orders of magnitude larger. This fact calls for suitable decommissioning measures to prevent an increase of the emissions after closure. Moreover, by developing and implementing strict waste management routines the potential environmental impacts can be minimized and