Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

There are numerous engineering, environmental, and social acceptability challenges associated with mining projects in the Canadian Arctic. These challenges are especially important when large volumes of solid mine wastes, such as mine tailings and waste rocks, must be stored at the surface. In order to design and develop efficient and cost-effective waste management and reclamation strategies in continuous permafrost regions, it is essential to adequately assess the thermal and hydrogeological behavior of mine waste storage facilities. However, despite having significant impacts on waste management reclamation strategies, the processes governing the thermal and hydrogeological behavior of tailings and waste rocks storage facilities have not yet been fully assessed. The long-term goal of this research program is to better understand the thermal and hydrogeological processes governing the behavior of mine waste storage facilities located in continuous permafrost regions. The first theme of this five-year research program aims to assess the thermo-hydrogeological behavior of tailings storage facilities located in continuous permafrost regions. The main short-term objectives of this research theme are to: (1) assess the in situ thermo-hydrogeological behavior of conventional and filtered tailings storage facilities in continuous permafrost regions, and (2) assess the long-term thermal behavior of tailings storage facilities and its impact on reclamation strategies in continuous permafrost regions. The second theme of this research program aims to assess the thermo-hydrogeological behavior of waste rock storage facilities located in continuous permafrost regions. The main short-term research objectives of the second theme are to: (1) assess water infiltration and storage in frozen waste rocks at the laboratory scale, and (2) assess water movement in frozen waste rocks using numerical modeling. The proposed experimental approaches combine cutting-edge measurement techniques with unique in situ results and original numerical modeling. The results of this study will improve our ability to design high-quality and sustainable reclamation strategies for mine sites located in Arctic regions. In addition, it will help the Canadian mining industry to better manage their mine wastes, reduce their environmental impacts, and protect the fragile ecosystems of the Canadian Arctic. The proposed research plan will involve the training of three undergraduate students, two master's students, and one doctoral student.