Tailings R&D in Collaboration with the University of British Columbia.

Mineral processing and oil sands mining produce large amounts of waste water/oil suspensions called tailings, which contain a significant amount of very fine solid particles and other chemical residues. Treatment of these waste sludges is a recognized industrial challenge. In general, these suspensions are very stable, and the solids cannot be easily separated. The behavior and characteristics of these suspensions are very complex, and a fundamental understanding of the phenomena remains an on-going area of research at many industrial and academic levels. BC Research Inc. is currently conducting tailings research in partnership with Prof. Marek Pawlik at the University of British Columbia’s Norman B. Keevil Mining Institute. The research program aims at substantially expanding the current understanding of the composition of tailings, settling mechanisms, the dewatering process (water release from Mature Fine Tailings) and consolidation of tailings.