Mining and MineralsMine Backfill Systems and Design
Backfill returns waste underground, supports the ground so adjacent stopes can be mined and removes material that would otherwise sit on a tailings facility, which makes it a geotechnical, environmental and production system at once. This course covers all three. Delegates work through fill types including rock, hydraulic and paste fill and what each requires, binder selection and the strength development a mining sequence depends on, and rheology and the reticulation that delivers fill to a stope. Barricade design and the failures that have killed people are covered directly. Placement, drainage and curing follow. Quality control and strength verification are addressed. The course closes on integrating fill into the mining sequence and on the cost trade off against tailings disposal.
Course objectives
- Compare rock, hydraulic and paste fill and their requirements
- Select binders and design for the required strength development
- Design reticulation and manage fill rheology
- Design barricades and understand the failure mechanisms
- Place, drain and cure fill correctly
- Verify strength through quality control
- Integrate fill into the mining sequence and assess the cost trade off
Who should attend
- Mining and geotechnical engineers
- Backfill plant operators and supervisors
- Metallurgists producing paste or tailings fill
- Production supervisors placing fill
- Tailings and environmental staff
Course outline
- 01Geotechnical, environmental and production at once
- 02Rock, hydraulic and paste fill
- 03Binder selection and strength development
- 04Rheology and reticulation
- 05Barricade design and failure mechanisms
- 06Placement, drainage and curing
- 07Quality control and strength verification
- 08Sequence integration and cost against tailings disposal
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Kigali, Rwanda | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | Register Now |
| 25 to 29 January 2027 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 1 to 5 February 2027 | Online | Online | R8,500 per delegate | Register Now |