Gipronickel Institute, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

V. R. Strelnikova, Researcher, StrelnikovaVR@nornik.ru
A. V. Bazhenova, Senior Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences

Composite Trade, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

V. A. Matsura, Director of Development, Candidate of Chemical Sciences

Nalco Company, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

B. V. Ukraintsev, Regional Manager

The excess of allowable dust content in air brings risks for health and nature. The existing dusting suppression methods for tailings ponds are reviewed, and the advantages and disadvantages of different dust control techniques are compared. The approaches to reducing emission of pollutants from tailings ponds are identified for the conditions of the Norilsk Industrial District. On a test site of a tailings pond exposed to intense wind erosion, the pilot tests were carried out to select optimal parameters of application of a dust-suppressing reagent. During the tests, different concentrations of the reagent solution and its consumptions per unit area were investigated. The efficiency criterion is the ability of a composition to create a strong protective surface on the tailings pond, to prevent dusting and to be preserved during the whole green and snowless season. The lab-scale simulation tests of dust blowing from a tailings sample treated with the dust-suppressing reagent and without treatment were performed. The quantitative analysis of intensity of solid emission from dusting surface was made using the current computation procedures. Dispersion of pollutants within the limits of the influence zones of tailings ponds was calculated for two variants: dusting without dust suppression and with treatment of the whole dusting surface of a tailings pond with the dust-suppressing reagent. The control points were selected in the residential area. From the pilot testing, the optimal efficiency of the reagent in dust emission suppression was determined. Implementation of the proposed measures can enable decrease in the level of dust emission and allow reduction of extra environmental pressure in the areas of hydrometallurgical processing waste storage.

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