Development of a simple segregation programme to manage potentially acid generating waste rock at the Keystone gold mine, Manitoba.

Static and kinetic tests (humidity cells) were completed at the site prior to mine development. A preliminary acid rock drainage management plan was formulated that would blend acid generating waste rock with non-acid generating waste rock. While the kinetic tests also indicated that blending (on a laboratory scale) prevented acid generation, the practicality of achieving constant blending on a mining scale needed further verification. For this, a more extensive picture of the distribution of the potentially acid generating rock at Keystone was necessary. An additional 1 585 blasthole cutting samples from the Wendy pit were analysed. This dataset was used to further develop the environmental management plan for handling the waste rock. By implementing a characterisation scheme based on total sulphur concentrations and fizz rating, waste rock could be quickly segregated without delaying the natural flow of ore from the pit.
Static and kinetic tests (humidity cells) were completed at the site prior to mine development. A preliminary acid rock drainage management plan was formulated that would blend acid generating waste rock with non-acid generating waste rock. While the kinetic tests also indicated that blending (on a laboratory scale) prevented acid generation, the practicality of achieving constant blending on a mining scale needed further verification. For this, a more extensive picture of the distribution of the potentially acid generating rock at Keystone was necessary. An additional 1 585 blasthole cutting samples from the Wendy pit were analysed. This dataset was used to further develop the environmental management plan for handling the waste rock. By implementing a characterisation scheme based on total sulphur concentrations and fizz rating, waste rock could be quickly segregated without delaying the natural flow of ore from the pit.