Sustainability in Unsaturated Mine Tailings Management Amidst Climate Change

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> The unsaturated properties of mine tailings establish a vital foundation for sustainable mining operations in a changing climate. The tailed materials have dual geotechnical attributes including matric suction effects as well as moisture retainment capabilities for stabilization and leakage regulation. The changes from climate change introduce different challenges that result in elevated risks for tailings dam failure by increasing precipitation followed by flooding and extreme temperatures. Multiple catastrophic failures including the Fundão disaster in Brazil and the Brumadinho disaster in Brazil together with the Mount Polley disaster in Canada have demonstrated massive environmental destruction as well as geotechnical breakdowns and profound social disruptions. The increased knowledge about unsaturated tailings behaviour in recent years created new possibilities for enhanced tailings management systems. The combination of multilayer cover systems with microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) shows promise as an adaptive technology to manage both environmental risks and structural vulnerabilities. Case study analyses show that monitoring systems combined with predictive hydrological simulations and advanced clean-up methods effectively tackle environmental challenges. These research findings will have major impacts on both mining operations and environmental engineering methods. The incorporation of indicators for climate resilience into existing tailings management practices enables stakeholders to enhance facility stability along with better-protecting ecosystems and reducing health threats. The review demonstrates how collaboration between multiple scientific fields alongside international partnerships maintains vital importance to combat all challenges from climate change which leads to sustainable mining practices.