ISSN 2594-5327
76º Congresso Anual da ABM - Internacional — vol. 76, num.76 (2023)
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One of the greatest challenges of the mineral industry is to find a scalable, technically, and economically viable solution for tailings. They are generated during their production process. Faced with a scenario in which the scale of tailings generation is substantially more than the scale of potential solutions for consumption/reuse of tailings, the strategy adopted by Vale was to diversify the portfolio of applications for different business models. It is known that for every 1t of Vale sand destined, 1t of tailings will no longer be deposited in dams or piles. Currently, Vale generates around 70 Mta of tailings, and most of it has physical-chemical properties that allow it to be classified as ore-sand. For those mines where there is no possibility of any geotechnical structure, the destination of sand becomes vital for the maintenance of the company's core business (iron ore), since for every 1t of Vale sand destined, around 1.6 t of ore is released to be produced. The study carried out by UNEP indicated that Vale sand could reduce GHG emissions by 10 times, compared to natural sand. Brucutu was the first plant adapted to produce sand and since 2021 around 600,000t have been reused in different initiatives and applications: paving, concrete production, and others, reaching 1.0 Mt in 2023. characterizations, process route studies, and a detailed TML study to maximize national and international market opportunities.
One of the greatest challenges of the mineral industry is to find a scalable, technically, and economically viable solution for tailings. They are generated during their production process. Faced with a scenario in which the scale of tailings generation is substantially more than the scale of potential solutions for consumption/reuse of tailings, the strategy adopted by Vale was to diversify the portfolio of applications for different business models. It is known that for every 1t of Vale sand destined, 1t of tailings will no longer be deposited in dams or piles. Currently, Vale generates around 70 Mta of tailings, and most of it has physical-chemical properties that allow it to be classified as ore-sand. For those mines where there is no possibility of any geotechnical structure, the destination of sand becomes vital for the maintenance of the company's core business (iron ore), since for every 1t of Vale sand destined, around 1.6 t of ore is released to be produced. The study carried out by UNEP indicated that Vale sand could reduce GHG emissions by 10 times, compared to natural sand. Brucutu was the first plant adapted to produce sand and since 2021 around 600,000t have been reused in different initiatives and applications: paving, concrete production, and others, reaching 1.0 Mt in 2023. characterizations, process route studies, and a detailed TML study to maximize national and international market opportunities.
Palavras-chave
Circular Economy, ore-sand, tailings management, GHG emissions
Circular Economy, ore-sand, tailings management, GHG emissions
Como citar
Resende, Lais;
Lopes, Gilmara;
Lima, Neymayer;
Santos, Juliana;
Menezes, Mariana.
VALE SAND: A NEW APPROACH FOR IRON ORE TAILINGS
,
p. 3362-3373.
In: 76º Congresso Anual da ABM - Internacional,
São Paulo,
2023.
ISSN: 2594-5327
, DOI 10.5151/2594-5327-40391
