Mining Wetlands | Tailings Pile

This structure, for treating surface runoff water from a tailings pile, is part of a complex of wetland systems for the complete management of waters influenced by mining. The objective of this system is to remove metals, to guarantee discharge standards, and to ensure treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD). The solution also includes a sedimentation basin (for containment of settleable solids) and hydraulic structures for flood control.

Unlike wetland systems for treating organic effluents, wetlands for treating inorganic mining waters have a completely customized bed arrangement and composition conditioned by the geochemical signature of the waters to be treated. In this type of system, it is common to use reactive media and organic components in bed stratification. Another highlight of this project typology is the use of shallow surface wetlands as aerobic treatment zones, unconventional for the treatment of sanitary effluents, for example.

Because it is a system with flows governed by the local hydrological cycle, it was designed to absorb large load and flow shocks, which was one of the biggest challenges of the project.

To guarantee safety, predictability, and operational control of the wetlands, a sophisticated instrumentation system was implemented, consisting of multiparameter probes installed throughout the system, and flow meters at the inlet and outlet, with real-time online data generation.

The company Wetlands Construídos was responsible for the complete engineering (from pilot-scale tests, through conceptual design to detailed design of all disciplines), for the Technical Monitoring of the Works, and for Assisted Operation with the end client.