Over 75 mining companies from across Canada, USA, Mexico, Morocco, China, Australia, Peru and Chile attended FLSmidth’s Tailings Forum in Tucson, AZ on Thursday.

The focus of the forum was on filtered tailings management and the potential of the EcoTails® solution in reducing water costs, tailings dam risks and minimising environmental footprint.

Todd Wisdom, Director of Tailings Solutions at FLSmidth, explained: “The Tailings Forum brought together some of the top leaders in mining, who addressed their tailings management needs and learned more about FLSmidth’s innovative technologies and solutions. It was exciting to talk more about the numerous benefits of EcoTails and filtered tailings in general.”

The participants took part in active dialogues on the changing landscape in tailings management, attended a panel discussion and heard speakers from Newmont Goldcorp, the University of Alberta and FLSmidth present on topics such as tailings filters and co-mingling. The all-day event also included a full-scale, live demonstration of the largest filter press plate ever built, the 5 m x 3 m AFP (for EcoTails).

Pete Flanagan, Global Key Account Management for FLSmidth Mining, commented: “The industry is starting to look at tailings management not just as a cost, but as an opportunity to recover more water, to improve safety, to reduce risk and to minimise environmental impact.”

Over the coming months, FLSmidth is planning to host more customer facing events and industry seminars across several countries.