Finnish mining equipment maker Metso Outotec has launched a Tailings Management Solutions portfolio it says tackles the entire chain of processes involved in tailings management.

The new portfolio incorporates frontrunning products and covers tailings thickening and dewatering as well as handling through conveying and dry stacking, the firm said.

The company added that elsewhere on the value chain, it also offers a frontrunning portfolio of solutions for the treatment of water produced during dewatering, enabling closed water loops while managing the level of impurities within the recycled water.

"The rising demand for sustainably mined materials and stricter environmental legislation are pushing the need for more advanced technology for safe processing and storing of the tailings. Water resource efficiency is also becoming more and more important. These factors, combined with the need to capture the full value of ore, for example, by reprocessing the tailings to extract the remaining valuable minerals, lead to a continuously increasing need for sophisticated tailings management solutions," explains Dr. Piia Suvio, Director, Tailings and Water, Metso Outotec.

"With our extensive process expertise, we can offer cutting edge technology solutions for any tailings management need to reduce water use, environmental impact, risks, and costs. Together with our customers, we can reshape the future of tailings and drive responsible management practices that help the business and society to prosper," says Suvio.

Tailings Management Solutions thickening plant units based on Metso Outotec IPS, HRT, HCT and PT technologies. For instance, the Reactorwell feed system and Vane FeedwellT provide enhanced mixing, dilution, and retention of the feed, maximizing flocculant adsorption and aggregate growth. The advanced Metso Outotec control systems, such as the thickener optimizer, help improve the overall performance of the thickening plant unit.

Filtration plant units are based on FFP or FP-S filtration technology. The Metso Outotec filtration plant unit is specifically designed for high-volume tailings processing , leading to savings in operational and maintenance costs.

Finally there is the company's conveying and stacking portfolio, and process water recycling plants enable the recovery and reuse of water within the production process with enhanced metal recovery within the flotation circuit.