Improvement of Environmental Conditions of Faryab Chromite Mine Using Backfill

Abstract

There are many sources for waste production such as surface & underground mines, mineral processing plant and smelter refinery in Faryab chromite mine which has created serious hazards for environmental conditions. On the other hand, the massive and violent collapse of pillars which has been labelled as a domino failure occurred in this mine. These hazards were led to study the replacement of waste materials in underground spaces. Accordingly, the need for environmental protections and the stability of underground stopes in Faryab mine have necessitated ever stricter requirements for the introduction of a more environmental-friendly mining method which is labelled as green backfill. In this research for estimation of backfill required strength, a numerical model was developed. On the other hand, to reduce or eliminate cement from the backfill mixes, investigations were conducted regarding the replacement of cement by chromite slag for the first time as an alternative. Test results indicated that mechanical properties of backfill materials were improved by chromite slag. The results also showed that cement consumption will be reduced by at least 2-3% using chromite slag as a binding agent. According to these results, it is possible to point out that chromite slag is a potential replacement material for Portland cement in backfill mixes. By using waste materials and chromite slag, the environmental conditions of Faryab mine will improve.