The company highlighted sustainable actions carried out and presented cases in the e-book ráticas em Circularidade in the mineral industry

Between September 12 and 15, Samarco participated in Exposibram 2022, held by the Brazilian Mining Institute (Ibram), in Belo Horizonte. During the fair, the future of mining and the sustainability actions developed by the mineral industry were addressed.

The Officer of Projects and Sustainability, Reuber Koury, participated in the discussions about the ESG agenda and in the presentation of the balance of the actions developed by the sector to achieve the goals established by 2030, during the Talk Show: ESG Mineração do Brasil, on Tuesday (Sep-13). Reuber highlighted the actions of the Occupational Health and Safety Group, coordinated by Samarco, and explained that the work was implemented within the scope of the Safety and Innovation pillar of ESG. Among the commitments made by the group is the implementation of instruments that reinforce the safety of employees and operations.

"It is essential to disseminate the Culture of Sustainability in organizations, starting with the awareness of employees and contractors about the importance of topics related to the environment and innovation. Externally, a necessary factor is the involvement of the host communities", highlighted the officer.

Reuber also talked about one of the main challenges facing the mining industry today: tailings disposal. “At Samarco, we resumed our operations without using dams - the sandy portion of the tailings, which corresponds to 80%, is filtered and dry stacked, while the remaining part is safely disposed of in a pit. We implemented innovations that could further strengthen our commitment to sustainability,” he stressed.

Innovation in the industry

Samarco presented three cases for the e-book “Práticas em Circularidade no Setor Mineral”, launched by Ibram during the event, on Thursday (Sep-15), being two of tailings reuse and one of waste. Engineers Alessandra Prata and Igor Batista Brinate presented the innovative projects: Use of Mud for Paving Side Roads; Use of Sandy Tailings for Geopolymer Fabrication; Use of paper waste for Hydroseeding. In total, 11 companies in the sector participated in the material. Click here to access the e-book.

Samarco's specialist engineer and member of the Group ofIbram's Waste Work, Marcos Gomes Vieira, explained that in addition to increasing knowledge about the mining industry, the e-book aims at providing assessments of the sector's contribution to the circular economy, encouraging the search for technological solutions that create additional value and improvements in environmental results in mining waste and mineral processing. “The material reinforces the need to search for technological solutions that create additional value from mining waste, tailings and overburden”, he highlighted.

Cases

The project ''Use of mud for paving side roads'' consists of using slimes from the iron ore beneficiation process to pave roads. After tests in a stretch at Samarco’s mine, a proof of concept (PoC) was carried out by the startup EcoMud where approximately 11 thousand tons of mud were applied together with an inorganic binder, in 11 kilometers of side roads in the municipality of Mariana (MG). The main purpose is to solve problems such as dust dispersion in dry periods and the formation of quagmire in rainy periods.

The case ‘’Use of Sandy Tailings for Geopolymer Fabrication’’ was developed in partnership with the startup GEECO. The geopolymer manufactured from the sandy tailings was used to manufacture the flooring in 50 x 50m pieces and applied in a proof of concept (PoC) in the external area of ​​a built house, at the Laboratory of Geotechnologies and Geomaterials (LGG) of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), located at Fazenda Modelo in Pedro Leopoldo.

The other initiative is the project “Using Paper Waste for Hydroseeding”. The intention is to provide the collection of paper waste generated in administrative areas and its application in hydroseeding, replacing components such as mega mulch and organic glue. What used to generate expenses for proper disposal became raw material in the production cycle, reducing costs of revegetation activities.

“For us it is gratifying to share these cases as examples of sustainable practices for the industry. These are initiatives that meet our purpose of making mining more sustainable and safer,” said Marcos Gomes.

Waste Disposal

Samarco also participated in the Tailings Disposal Technologies panel – Dewatered Tailings Stacking, on Wednesday (Sep-14). The expert engineer, Wanderson Silvério Silva, participated in the discussions together with consultants and representatives of the sector.

Wanderson highlighted that practices and techniques were presented for the studies, projects, operation and controls of the disposal of dewatered tailings in stacks, and recommendations on the safety of the structures. “It was an opportunity to present Samarco's experience with the operation and control of the disposal of filtered tailings at PDER Alegria Sul. Since the resumption, we have been operating, in a pioneering way, a stack for the disposal of filtered tailings, which has become a trend in Brazilian mining, as an alternative to the use of dams. The panel was also important to present the company's best practices, reaffirming the commitment to carrying out mining differently, sharing value with society”, he stated.