Planning for waste management and disposal in minerals processing using life cycle assessment

Good environmental performance in mining and minerals processing operations relies on effective waste management. In turn, the generation of waste, both its quality and quantity, is a direct function of technology choice and is limited further by the thermodynamic constraints under which the industry operates. It is only over the former that operating companies can exercise any control. We argue that improvements in environmental performance are realised primarily by changes in technology—not simply hardware choice, but also operating and management practice. Whilst such changes are driven by environmental concerns expressed by society (often in the form of legislative guidelines), it is operating companies alone which can effect such change. Current environmental management systems offer little in the way of technical guidance for mining and minerals processing companies intent on improving their environmental performance. They tend to reflect a static operating condition, in which the domain of influenc...