Models of rock dump reclamation in copper mines of the Sverdlovsk region

This article examines three conceptual models for the reclamation of waste dumps from copper mines in the Sverdlovsk region. In the Middle Urals, abandoned copper mines— Degtyarsky, Levikhinsky, Belorechensky, Karpushikhinsky, Lomovsky, Zyuzelsky, and others—represent typical sites of accumulated environmental damage. Based on their age of formation and natural chemical reclamation through chemical and organic weathering and sulfide destruction, the waste dumps from abandoned copper mines are conventionally divided into three groups. The first group includes the oldest and, consequently, most degraded, or "empty" waste dumps, which are widely used by local authorities and copper mine residents as backfill material for dams, road construction, and for filling collapse zones and other uneven terrain. The second group includes weakly mineralized waste dumps, which pose a minor environmental hazard. Finally, the third group includes highly mineralized waste dumps, where sulfide mineralization has not yet fully degraded under the influence of natural factors. Accordingly, three conceptual models for reclamation of copper mine waste dumps are considered: singlestage, two-stage, and three-stage. In single-stage reclamation, waste dumps are used as backfill material during the technical stage, a practice widely practiced at abandoned copper mines in the Middle Urals.

Storozhenko L. A., Boltyrov V. B., Lebzin M. S., Degtyarev S. A. Models of rock dump reclamation in copper mines of the Sverdlovsk region. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2025;(12-1):143-156. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2025_121_0_143.

The research was carried out at the expense of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation No. 24-17-20033, https://rscf.ru/en/project/24-17-20033 / with the financial support of the Government of the Sverdlovsk region (No. 8-25-OG, dated 03/27/2025).

L.A. Storozhenko¹, Cand. Sci. (Geol. Mineral.), Head of Chair, e-mail: stor_luba@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4185-956X,
V.B. Boltyrov¹, Dr. Sci. (Geol. Mineral.), Professor, Professor, e-mail: boltyrov34@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5564-0054,
M.S. Lebzin¹, Junior Researcher, e-mail: az_ma@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5959-135X,
S.A. Degtyarev¹, Lecturer of Secondary Vocational Education, e-mail: sergey.degtyarev@m.ursmu.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7046-3244,
¹ Ural State Mining University, 620144, Ekaterinburg, Russia.

V.B. Boltyrov, e-mail: boltyrov34@mail.ru.

1. Ovchinnikova T. V., Uflyand G. S. Expansion of the Northern copper-zinc mine without damaging the environment of the Northern Urals. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2011, no. 7, pp. 31—34. [In Russ]. 

2. Voronova A. E., Kiseleva D. V., Okuneva T. G. Assessment of the ecogeochemical status of rivers flowing through the territory of the Denezhkin Kamen Nature Reserve. Problemy teoreticheskoy i eksperimental'noy khimii [Problems of theoretical and experimental chemistry], Ekaterinburg, 2024, 75 p. 

3. Komin A. V. Zashchita vodnykh ob"ektov ot zagryazeniya stokom s otvalov medno-tsinkovykh rud (na primere Levikhinskogo rudnika) [Protection of water bodies from pollution by runoff from copper-zinc ore dumps (using the Levikhinsky mine as an example)], Candidate’s thesis, Ekaterinburg, 2000, 17 p. 

4. Vysotsky S. P., Kozyr D. A. Environmental monitoring of waste dumps of mining agglomerations. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Assets Engineering. 2021, vol. 332, no. 11, pp. 37—46. [In Russ]. 

5. Zhukovskaya E. P. Metodika operativnoy otsenki ekologicheskoy opasnosti otkhodov pri razrabotke medno-tsinkovykh mestorozhdeniy Urala i perspektivnye sposoby ikh neytralizatsii [Methodology for operational assessment of environmental hazard of waste during development of copper-zinc deposits in the Urals and promising methods for their neutralization], Candidate’s thesis, Ekaterinburg, 2003, 25 p. 

6. Dusengemungu L., Mubemba B., Gwanama C. Evaluation of heavy metal contamination in copper mine tailing soils of Kitwe and Mufulira, Zambia, for reclamation prospects. Scientific Reports. 2022, vol. 12, article 11283. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15458-2. 

7. Leiva González J., Onederra I. Environmental management strategies in the copper mining industry in chile to address water and energy challenges — Review. Mining. 2022, vol. 2, pp. 197—232. DOI: 10.3390/mining2020012. 

8. Zlobin N. I. Assessment of pollution of water bodies of the Denezhkin Kamen Nature Reserve from the Shemurskoye deposit. XXI century. Technosphere safety. 2021, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 395—407. [In Russ]. 

9. Kvashnina A. E., Vozmitel F. K., Khamedov V. A. Dynamics of forest vegetation mortality in the area of mineral extraction at the deposits of the northern copper-zinc mine in the Sverdlovsk region. Forest Science Issues. 2023, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 104—115. [In Russ]. 

10. Tuchina M. V., Ermakova Yu. V. Reserve availability of copper mining enterprises in the southern and middle Urals, the state and prospects for the development of their raw material base. Ores and Metals. 2019, no. 3, pp. 12—21. [In Russ]. 

11. Ovchinnikova T., Solodovnikov D. In the fight against acidic waters. TekhNadzor. 2017, no. 8 (129), pp. 71. [In Russ]. 

12. Antoninova N. Yu., Kornilkov S. V., Kuznetsova Ya. A., Shubina L. A. Environmental aspects of overburden dump reclamation. Problems of Subsoil Use. 2024, no. 1(40), pp. 57—66. [In Russ]. 

13. Dostovalova D. A., Podgorodetsky N. S. Forecasting the level of professional risk during waste dump reclamation. Bulletin of the Donbass National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture. 2023, no. 3 (161), pp. 48—55. [In Russ]. 

14. Degtyarev S. A., Boltyrov V. B., Prokopyeva A. A., Shaikhutdinova M. M. Justification of the inventory system for objects of accumulated damage to the environment (using the Levikhinsky mine as an example). MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2023, no. 12-1, pp. 31—43. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/ 0236_1493_2023_121_0_31. 

15. Rybnikova L. S., Rybnikov P. A., Galin A. N. Processes of formation of dump waters and measures to minimize their impact on the hydrosphere (using the Levikhinsky mine as an example, Middle Urals). Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Assets Engineering. 2025, vol. 336, no. 2, pp. 102—115. [In Russ]. 

16. Lebzin M. S. Obosnovanie tekhnologii konservatsii porodnykh otvalov sorbent-orientirovannym metodom [Justification of the technology for conservation of rock dumps using the sorbent-oriented method], Candidate’s thesis, Ekaterinburg, 2025, 27 p. 

17. Zenkov I. V., Nefedov B. N., Yuronen Yu. P., Kiryushina E. V., Vokin V. N. Technologies for the formation of rock dump relief for forest reclamation. Ecology and Industry of Russia. 2015, vol. 19, no. 10, pp. 22—26. [In Russ]. 

18. Fedorov S. A., Zavyalov S. S., Malyshev A. N. New data on the material composition of the Levikhinsky mine dumps (Middle Urals). Ural Mineralogical School. 2021, no. 27, pp. 122—124. [In Russ]. 

19. Rybnikova L. S., Rybnikov P. A. Ecological and economic assessment of mine waters using the example of flooded copper pyrite mines in the Urals. Water management of Russia: problems, technologies, management. 2016, no. 1, pp. 52—65. [In Russ]. 

20. Rybnikova L. S., Rybnikov P. A., Navolokina V. Yu. Assessment of the impact of the flooded Levikhinsky copper pyrite mine on the quality of surface waters of the Tagil River. Problems of Subsoil Use. 2019, no. 3 (22), pp. 155—160. [In Russ].