Flotation Gold Tailings Paste Backfill

We installed a CX5-50 ceramic disc vacuum filtration system at an underground gold mining operation in Wawa, Ontario. It was installed at this greenfield concentrator to dewater flotation tailings for preparation of a filter-cake to be utilized in paste backfill of the underground stopes.

Year

2019 – 2023

Location

Wawa, Ontario – Canada

Size

Qty. 1, CX5-50 (50m2)

Technology

Ceramic Disc Filtration

Highlights

This project represents the first use of our technology into a paste backfill application. It was also the first project delivered by CECMS in Canada and to CSA electrical standards, representing our transition to local fabrication of electrical enclosures and in-house PLC-HMI-SCADA design.

Challenge

This project was capital constrained, which resulted in changes in scope and modifications to utilities and battery limits throughout. This meant on-the-fly modifications to our engineering and overall flexibility required throughout the execution phase of the project.

Solution

The final filtration solution supplied was undersized for the application, which resulted in the debate of its efficacy. Transition was undertaken by the asset to repurpose the equipment for sub-aerial placement of filtered tailings due to difficulties experienced by the underground mine and pastefill plant.

Benefit

Concentrator operations remained uninterrupted, as flotation tailings were subsequently discharged on surface, rather than underground in the form of paste. The filter was able to generate filter-cake of sufficiently low moisture in compliance with geotechnical parameters of design.