Testing the waters
ON 25 January, the tailings dam collapse at Vale’s Feijão mine near Brumadinho, Brazil, sent a torrent of sludge into the miner’s administrative area and surrounding Vila Ferteco community. Traditional mineral processing methods require a significant amount of water to grind, wash and treat ore and tailings dams have been the primary waste disposal system to store slurry leftover from the plant. The thick mud, if released, not only can have negative impacts on the environment, it could also pose a major safety risk to on-site workers and nearby communities. In international operations like Brazil, the collapse of two dams in less than four years, has put wastewater management in mining to the front of discussions. In late February, Brazil’s National...