“Galurgiya” JSC (Perm, Russia):

Vostretsov S. P., Head of Department, e-mail: vsp@gallurgy.ru

Filling of slime storage is defined by accumulation of solid phase of slimes in it. Size of sediment pond feels the seasonal and perennial changes, but has no clear tendency of accumulation of salt brines. Size of drains, placed into the slime storage, is spent on filtration, excluding the pumping out of recycle salt brines and their accumulation in voids of slime sediments. During the exploitation of slime storages, the main ecological problems are connected with discharging of part of filtration flow in surface drainage system. The higher is density of filtrated solid phase, the lower is the discharging coefficient into the surface drainage system, and vice versa. Control of filtration consists in limitation of “filtration basis” by the following ways:
-minimization of water escapes (first of all, due to decreasing of addition of fresh water in technological processes to 5-6 m³ for 100 t of ore);
-increasing of density of salt brines in slime storage (due to decreasing of inflow of fresh surface waters);
-provision of relatively proportional filtration mode (particularly, by random screening of bed in the areas of possible blowout piping).
Design documentation on preparation and antifiltering protection of slime storage bed should be developed, taking into account the results of engineering surveys, geophysical researches and hydrogeological modeling. Technological process of passing of contaminated drains (salt brines) through the slime storage with partial drainage provides their purification in several stages (due to ion exchange and sorption with filtration through rocks).