Mine tailings replacement

Abstract

Mine tailings and similar materials are disposed of by replacing the tailings in underground mineworks including the shafts, adits and drifts by forming a slurry of tailings using dredging or similar mixing processes and pumping the slurry to the mineworks. Cementitious materials may be added to selected quantities of the tailings slurries to form cement plugs for placement at selected intervals in the mineworks to minimize connectivity of the mineworks shafting, adits and drifts. The mineworks may be dewatered to provide a source of water for the slurrification process and the water may be reused after separation from the slurry. The disposal process provides a convenient way of replacing mine tailings in a repository of similar mineralogy and at least partially eradicates abandoned mineworks, including shafting, adits and drifts, which otherwise might require continual monitoring and dewatering.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for disposing of mine tailings and similar materials comprising the steps of: forming a slurry of said mine tailings;   transporting said slurry to an underground mineworks; and   depositing said slurry in said mineworks.   
     
     
       2. The method set forth in claim 1 including the step of: pumping water from said mineworks and adding said pumped water to said mine tailings to form said slurry.   
     
     
       3. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein: the step of forming said slurry comprises dredging said mine tailings from a tailings disposal site.   
     
     
       4. The method set forth in claim 3 including the step of: pumping water from said mineworks to said disposal site and forming said slurry from said tailings at said disposal site and said pumped water.   
     
     
       5. The method set forth in claim 1 including the step of: adding a cementitious material to said slurry to form a hardenable mass for disposition in said mineworks at a predetermined place therein.   
     
     
       6. The method set forth in claim 1 including the step of: forming said slurry by mixing said mine tailings with a quantity of water in a mixing tank and pumping said slurry from said mixing tank to said mineworks for disposal therein.   
     
     
       7. The method set forth in claim 1 including the step of; separating water from said slurry of tailings and water prior to depositing said tailings in said mineworks.   
     
     
       8. The method set forth in claim 7 including the step of: conducting said water separated from said slurry to a location for forming an additional slurry of said tailings and said separated water.   
     
     
       9. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein: the step of depositing said slurry in said mineworks comprises conducting said slurry through an injection well drilled into a part of said mineworks.