Analyse de cycle de vie de la stabilisation cimentaire des résidus miniers employée comme méthode de restauration des sites miniers

Abstract

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a key issue in the management of mine tailings, particularly in the context of reclamation. Solidification/stabilization of the top layer of tailings ponds could become a promising method for mine reclamation due to the low-permeability alkaline cover it provides. Beyond technical criteria related to performance and durability, the environmental impact of such a process should be investigated. This study presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) of cement stabilization used in the restoration of mine tailings ponds. Scenarios involving various cement blends were evaluated (general use limestone cement GUL and blast furnace slag-based cements) and compared to baseline data from four mining sites in Quebec. The emission inventories also include potential releases of contaminants into the natural environment, determined based on ICP-AES analyses of the tailings and TCLP tests conducted before and after stabilization. The study shows that reducing the amount of clinker used (in cement) is the most effective way to mitigate this method’s impact on climate change. If cement stabilization of tailing ponds were fully integrated into the mining cycle, it would likely increase the carbon footprint of metals by a only few percentage points—or even hundredths of a percentage point. Regarding freshwater ecotoxicity, the uncertainty of transfer of laboratory tests to field, and the variability of results across different assessment methods, preclude an evaluation of the effectiveness of S/S on mine tailings from an ecotoxicity perspective. In particular, there are still unknowns regarding the behavior of the tailings beneath the stabilization layer, which can only be resolved through field tests.

Date	18 Jul 2026
Original language	French
Awarding Institution	École de technologie supérieure
Supervisor	Andrew Henderson (Supervisor) & Isabelle Demers (Co-supervisor)