Bio-Assisted Improvement of Shear Strength and Compressibility of Gold Tailings

Abstract

Safe storage of mine tailings has challenged engineers as shown by numerous historical tailings dam failures. While the storing of tailings behind tailings dams is the most practical containment solution, poor mechanical characteristics (low strength and high compressibility) of these waste materials raises serious concerns regarding the stability of tailings dams. In this study, the microbially-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) technique is used to treat gold tailings. Accordingly, tailings were enriched with Sporosarcina pasteurii and flushed with different concentrations of cementation solution to find the CaCl₂ amount that produces the highest shear strength in studied tailings. Their shear strength and compressibility were measured in direct shear and one-dimensional oedometer tests and compared with those of the untreated tailings. Results showed that the 50 mM CaCl₂ cementation solution proved the most effective treatment solution with respect to MICP, reducing compressibility of tailings by about 300% when loaded up to 800 kPa and improving shear strength by 140%. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of treated samples further illustrated the effects of MICP on the composition and structure of the tailings specimens.

Keywords:

• Bio-cementation
• consolidation
• gold tailings
• MICP
• shear strength

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published paper.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded through an "Early Researcher Award" from the Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science.