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Abstract
Dewatering by means of electro-osmosis involves placing a series of electrodes into the ground and applying a potential difference between the electrodes to induce water molecules to move towards the negative electrode from the positive electrode. Despite well documented applications of this technique for improving fine and ultra-fine sediments, the mining industry is yet to embrace this technology at field scale. One of the main impediments is the rapid electrode corrosion of conventional metal electrodes. Severe corrosion of electrodes can hinder the efficiency of this technique over time, which leads to increased energy consumption. The advancement of electrically conductive geosynthetics, also known as electrokinetic geosynthetics (EKGs), presents a significant opportunity to improve the industrial uptake of this technique by replacing conventional metallic electrodes, owing to EKGs vastly superior anti-corrosive properties. The current study investigated the performance of novel EKG electrodes in dewatering ultra-fine tailings using a laboratory-scale experimental approach. The dewatering efficiencies using EKG electrodes were compared with that of conventional metal electrodes (mild steel) by assessing the volume of water expelled, strength gain, end-of-test water content and energy consumption. The results showed that for dewatering fine, slurried tailings, the novel EKG electrodes proved to be just as effective as their traditional metal counterparts, and usually better, since corrosion effects did not hinder the electro-0smosis process. Although the variation in water content between the tests conducted with the two types of electrodes under the same voltage gradients was marginal, the use of EKGs has led to a significant enhancement in undrained shear strength. This constitutes one of the main advantages of utilizing EKGs for treating ultra-fine tailings.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Proceedings of Tailings and Mine Waste 2024 |
Editors | Joe Goodwill |
Publisher | Colorado State University |
Number of pages | 13 |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
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Dive into the research topics of 'Utilization of novel electrokinetic geosynthetics for stabilization of ultra-fine tailings'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Accelerating consolidation and closure of mine tailings storage facilities
Jaksa, M. (Investigator 01), Fourie, A. (Investigator 02) & Deng, A. (Investigator 03)
ARC Australian Research Council
10/01/22 → 10/01/25
Project: Research