NLMK Group to Reduce Dusting at Stoilensky Tailings Dam by 70%

Stoilensky Mining and Beneficiation Plant, an NLMK Group company, a Metal-Expo regular exhibitor, is currently implementing a project that will enable a dramatic reduction in dust formation at the tailings dam dry beaches, where empty rock is stored after ore beneficiation. The new dust suppression system includes an adaptive water sprinkling infrastructure and an innovative reagent treatment technology that suppresses dust formation even in windy weather.

The dust suppression system consists of a network of pipes and pumps for sprinkling water within a radius of 100 metres. As the tailings dam gets filled, the system can be quickly dismantled and assembled in another area. The beach sections that are removed from the sprinkler system get treated with a reagent, an organic glue that sticks the empty rock particles together. As a result, a thick crust forms on the surface and suppresses dust in windy weather.

In 2021, more than six kilometres of sprinkler systems will be launched and over 100 hectares of the tailings dam will be treated with the reagent. Investment in the project will total 150m Rub.