WORKSHOP SYNOPSIS

Selecting materials for everyday products based on their environmental footprint--and the outcomes of Life Cycle Assessments (LCA)--is becoming mainstream. When it comes to metals’ uses, quantifying trace metal impurity releases from tailings accurately is proving essential to assess their potential human and ecological impacts. We need your expertise in tailings geochemistry and/or LCA to explore ways of improving release estimates based on high-quality data and models. Attend in person or via webinar. Join the discussion!

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Sustainable and circular product design and manufacturing is a growing trend among manufacturers of everyday products; they use LCA as an aid in choosing the best option among alternative materials and processes based on minimizing environmental impact. In the European Union, the use of LCA in product specification is on the verge of becoming mandatory under existing Product Policy legislation; other jurisdictions are expected to follow suit. There is an immediate opportunity and crucial need, for the mining industry to contribute its expertise in tailings chemistry to ensure that the potential impacts of tailings impurities are properly characterized in LCA using the best data available and optimal technical approach. Providing reliable data is part of the mining industry’s leading role in maximizing its contributions to sustainability and the benefits of its products to society.

Data on impurity release rates from tailings via leachate are not available on the time scales required for LCA (100 years and 60,000 years). Consequently, LCA practitioners estimate these rates with a simplified, empirical model, that was developed from a landfill leachate emission model, and which does not fully reflect the current understanding of tailings geochemistry and mining management practices. The aim of this workshop is to bring together experts in the fields of mine tailings geochemistry and management, and LCA, to discuss:

the practice of LCA and its industrial and regulatory applications relevant to the mining sector and metals in the value chain;
the variety of tailings handling and geochemical factors affecting metal release/attenuation from tailings facilities;
the commonalities, and differences, between the tailings model used in LCA and current state-of-the-art models used to predict metal release from tailings facilities; and
possible way(s) forward in bridging current gaps, to improve the accuracy of long-term emissions estimates from tailings impoundments.

The workshop will feature key speakers from the LCA practice and mining industry providing insights into their respective areas of expertise. Following the presentations, workshop attendees will participate in break-out discussion groups and provide insight on possible ways forward.

Improving Estimates of Releases from Mine Tailings in Life Cycle Assessment