Investigation into the current closure practices of platinum tailings storage facilities - the South African context

摘要

The largest reserves of platinum ore are found in the Bushveld Complex of South Africa, which presents a unique opportunity to study the status of mine closure in this context, specifically the closure of platinum tailings storage facilities. The challenge for most of the platinum tailings storage facilities are that the facilities are still seen as a resource and could be re-mined as process technology improves. Therefore, expenditure towards closure during the operational phase is not viewed as advantageous. However, the re-mining of historic and existing facilities also presents the opportunity to develop the resulting new tailings facilities to the latest standards and internationally accepted practices for mine closure.