The change from conventional tailings technology to filtered tailings will reduce the project site by a factor of 5.
Ariana Operaciones Mineras, a copper project located in Marcapomacocha, Yauli, JunÃn, has just submitted the third Sustainable Technical Report (ITS) to Senace, presenting the change of tailings technology, as well as the location of the tailings deposit.
Ariana is based on the pillars of constant innovation and sustainability, which is why the company decided to go for a change of technology of this magnitude, despite having all the permits and authorizations to develop the project with conventional tailings.
“We want Ariana to be a sustainable and socially and environmentally responsible project since its inception. Therefore, we are committed to innovate with new technologies in tailings management. Ariana will be the modern mining reference for medium mining”, commented Adolfo Vera, president of Ariana Operaciones Mineras.
The improvements contemplated in this ITS are: technological optimization and relocation of the tailings deposit, implementation of a filtered tailings plant, optimization and relocation of the tailings deposit and other minor modifications necessary for these purposes.
This new process seeks to optimize the use of resources, recovering 97% of the water used, which is returned to the plant, so that the Ariana project will not use fresh water, since it will only use mine water (water from mining operations).
For this purpose, a Tailings Filtration Plant will be built, which includes filter presses that compress the tailings like an accordion, squeezing the water and separating it from the solids. In this way, the dry tailings will only have between 12% and 15% moisture, compared to conventional tailings that have 60% moisture.
The filtered tailing also reduces the dimensions of the tailings dam, so that it is reduced by almost 5 times. Therefore, Ariana will change from having a conventional tailings dam of 97 hectares to a filtered tailings deposit that will only occupy an area of 21 hectares.
The reduction in the size of the tailings dam will also allow it to be relocated to an area adjacent to the operation, only 900 meters from the processing plant and more than 2.5 km away from the Trans-Andean Tunnel and any associated infrastructure, thus leaving the area of influence of the basin where it was located.
The location of the new Relavera has been carefully studied by consultants of the highest level, choosing a space with a rocky bed, making any risk of seepage into the ground impossible. In addition, Ariana will cover the reservoir area with a geomembrane, which is a waterproof covering. This new reservoir will also have an underdrain system and an additional waterproof coating on the surface called “raincoat”, which will allow rainwater to be captured without coming into contact with the reservoir material.
This location is also within the approved area of the planned landfill, which means that the physical space where the project will be developed will not need to be expanded. The waste dump will now be located in front of the mine entrance.
Ariana maintains its commitment to sustainability, development, people and the environment and will continue to comply with all social and environmental commitments, as it has been doing since its approval, despite reducing the project site area.
