Hydro-geomechanical substantiation of pit wall stability for liquid industrial waste disposal

The article discusses a relevant question of industrial waste management in the Russian Federation in view of the growing intensity of industrial technogenesis in the developed regions. The feasibility of using mined-out space of open pits for the disposal of liquid industrial waste—hydraulic stripping waste and concentration tailings—is substantiated. The advantages of this approach are the reduction of mining-disturbed land, minimization of ecological risks, better stability of pit wall slopes and reclamation of mined-out areas. Examples of implementation of such projects to prove the applicability and efficiency of the approach are presented. The main geomechanical aspects of liquid industrial waste storage in open pits are discussed. The main governing factors of pit wall slope stability, including variable hydrogeological conditions of pit wall and built up masses are determined. The geomechanical charts of slope stability estimation in open pits during filling are justified. The influence exerted by composition, condition and properties of materials to be stored, and by the filling rate of a material on the stress–strain behavior of the created natural–technical system is analyzed. The results can be used by research and design institutions when designing and justifying slope stability in open pits filled with liquid industrial waste.

Kutepov Yu. Yu. Hydro-geomechanical substantiation of pit wall stability for liquid industrial waste disposal. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2024;(9):65-77. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2024_9_0_65.

Yu.Yu. Kutepov, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Leading Researcher, Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, 199106, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: Kutepov_YuYu@pers.spmi.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3698-3072.

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