Use of a New Technology to Solve
Mine-Waste Disposal Problem

The disposal of the fine particles of waste materials generated by mining, such as mine tailings and coal fines, has been a health problem and a threat to the environment. For instance, in October 2000, a coal waste dam in Kentucky collapsed, sending large quantity of gooey coal slurry into a stream, causing serious damage to water quality and aquatic lives. Officials have called it "the worst environmental disaster to hit the region in more than a decade." Another example is the lead mine tailings in Missouri that resulted from many years of lead mining activities. Their threat to health and water quality has been well-known, and they have been included by EPA as Superfund sites for future clean-up. All these problems can be solved or greatly mitigated if a new technology developed by the Capsule Pipeline Research Center (CPRC), University of Missouri-Columbia (MU), is used. Under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy, CPRC has developed a high-pressure compaction technology to turn powdered waste materials resulting from mining and other activities into dense compacts of cylindrical shapes called "logs"—see picture below. The logs are strong and have very low permeability. When disposed in mine pits or placed underground, such logs will not deteriorate and will not leach pollutants. This new technology constitutes the best hope for a permanent solution to the nation's mine waste disposal problem. Depending on the size and production rate of the logs, such waste materials can be compacted into logs at a cost of $3 to $8 per ton. It is a justifiable cost of mining to pay for protecting public health and the nation's environment. Mining companies and pertinent government agencies may want to consider incorporating this strategy in future mining and Superfund clean-up to reduce the impact of mining and to protect the environment and public health.

Flyash was compacted into concrete-strength logs		Lead-mine tailings were compacted into strong logs using flyash as binder.