MANAGEMENT OF SEGREGATING INDUSTRIAL TAILINGS BY USING THICKENERS PRODUCING SEGREGATED THICKENED TAILINGS

摘要

The present invention claims that for the management of segregating industrialtailings,such as tailings produced by oil sands, mining and coal industry, the tailingsis thickenedby using a suitable thickener producing segregated thickened tailings asthickenerunderflow and release water as thickener overflow. The production ofsegregatedthickened tailings in the thickener is the key factor for fast recovery of thereleased waterfrom the tailings stream. Thickener overflow is the release water, which ispreferablyreconditioned and recycled. The thickener underflow is the segregatedthickened tailings,which can be converted to engineered tailings product and discharged for landreclamation, further consolidation of which would produce more release water.As anexample, the thickener underflow (segregated thickened tailings) can beblended with thecoarser and finer fractions of the main tailings stream, at certainproportions, preferablywith the help of chemical additives, to produce blended composite tailings.Blendedcomposite tailings can be disposed for land reclamation, further consolidationof whichwould produce more release water.