Reverse logistics system applied to the reuse of iron ore tailings.

Samantha Rodrigues de Araújo, Lásara Fabrícia Rodrigues, Júlia Castro Mendes, Ricardo André Fiorotti Peixoto

Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA 2020 Dec

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Iron ore tailings (IOT) from tailings dams cause significant environmental, economic, and social impacts, which has motivated the search for reuse alternatives. In this scenario, the present work uses reverse logistics to size the resources required to reuse the IOT for road infrastructure. A reverse logistics system was modelled to transport the IOT from the tailings dam to a processing plant and then to the construction site of a road. Resource capacity constraints and operational limitations were considered, and the economic feasibility of the system was analysed. Two scenarios for tailings transportation on the dam/plant route were simulated aiming at a cost less than R$ 25 (US$ 6.13) per tonne: (1) trucks; and (2) conveyor belts. The economic feasibility of both scenarios was proven, with scenario 1 presenting the most promising results - a transport distance of 290 km within the established price limit. This methodology can thus be applied to encourage the large-scale reuse of IOT.

Citation

Samantha Rodrigues de Araújo, Lásara Fabrícia Rodrigues, Júlia Castro Mendes, Ricardo André Fiorotti Peixoto. Reverse logistics system applied to the reuse of iron ore tailings. Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA. 2020 Dec;38(12):1429-1437