Paterson & Cooke is pleased to have contributed to a recent feature published in North American Mining titled Making Tailings and Water Decisions Count.
The article explores the growing importance of effective tailings water management as mining operations face increasing pressure to reduce water consumption, improve environmental performance, and adapt to site-specific challenges such as climate, ore variability, and regulatory requirements.
Rachel Jansen, Tailings Manager for Paterson & Cooke’s North American practice, provided insight into factors that influence water recovery and tailings dewatering performance. A key message highlighted in the article is that successful water recovery begins with a thorough understanding of tailings characteristics. Properties such as mineralogy, particle size distribution, and water chemistry play a critical role in determining how effectively water can be recovered from tailings streams and which technologies are suitable for a given application.
In addition to discussing material properties, Rachel contributed valuable insight into the technologies and approaches available for improving water recovery. Modern operations may consider a range of strategies, including thickened tailings, and filtered tailings technologies. Each approach offers different levels of water recovery and operational complexity, and the selection of an appropriate solution depends heavily on site-specific factors such as climate, storage footprint, and long-term operational goals.100
A recurring theme throughout the discussion is that there is no universal solution for tailings water management. Instead, robust laboratory testing, data-driven evaluation, and integrated engineering design are essential to identifying practical solutions that balance performance, cost, and environmental responsibility.
Rachel’s contribution reinforces the importance of taking a holistic view of tailings management—one that considers both the fundamental properties of the material and the broader operational context.
Read the full article:
Making Tailings and Water Decisions Count
Find out more about how we continue to support clients globally by applying rigorous testing, modelling, and engineering design to optimise tailings management strategies.
