Rehabilitation of Dispersive Mine Spoil

Specifications

• Client: ACARP
• Scope:

  In collaboration with the University of Southern Queensland, Verterra is undertaking a study with the aims of determining a set of Best Management Practices (BMPs); risk-based decision tools to equip practitioners with cost effective guidelines to improve rehabilitation outcomes in relation to dispersive spoil; a decision framework and explanation of risks; quantification of the costs of alternatives; a process for understanding the trade-offs between risks and costs; and a ‘business case’ for applying risk-based decisions.  The project has broad mining industry backing including in-kind support from Anglo American, Peabody Energy, Rio Tinto, Glencore and New Hope Group.

  Mine site rehabilitation trials are being carried out as part of the project. Since 2017, Verterra has had in-house UAV capability for delivery of environmental services. Our Matrice 600 Drone is equipped with high-resolution colour camera and multi-spectral camera enabling Normalised Difference Vegetation Index Mapping (NDVI) and Drone-based Landform Digital Terrain Mapping, which are being employed for this project. 

• Challenge:

  Sustainable closure of coal mines in Australia remains one of the industry’s biggest environmental challenges.  This issue is amplified when spoil characteristics make rehabilitation difficult and costly.  A significant proportion of mines in the Bowen Basin of Queensland have dispersive spoil.  It is estimated that the current instantaneous liability for rehabilitating dispersive spoil dumps is $2 to $3 billion for the Bowen Basin alone and significantly more nationally.

• Solution:

  Through a program of research the project will develop a quantitative model to describe dispersive spoil behaviour in order to predict performance for any configuration of site and management conditions.  Combined with a set of costed, risk-based management decision tools, the study will develop a practical framework to support practical, cost-effective management of dispersive spoil that is readily understood and easily adopted by field practitioners.

• Benefit to Client:

  Project outcomes will provide technical economic tools and economic rational support ability to communicate an understanding of rehabilitation performance sensitivity to key design and management parameters.  It will also provide a checklist of key factors that need to be understood and assessed in dispersive spoil rehabilitation design and management.

• Market Sector: Mining
• Capabilities:
  • General land, water and vegetation technical services
  • Soil Science
  • Erosion and Sediment Control
• Location: Queensland
• Year: 2015 - 2017 - 2018