A final goal is to improve our knowledge and predictive capabilities of both the plume dispersion and the continuous process of settling deposition consolidation and associated shear strength development oftailings and what effect the use of flocculants might have on this.

Chatham Rock Phosphate (CRP) aims to be the premier supplier of direct application phosphate to the New Zealand and global agricultural sector supporting sustainable farming and agricultural processes. Torealize this objective phosphate will be mined at the 400 meter deep Chatham Rise located in the SW South Pacific Ocean. Chatham Rock Phosphate’s failure to get an environmental consent for marine miningin New Zealand is one example of the increasing global need to develop validated tools and methodologies to predict adaptively manage and reduce the environmental effects of marine mining.

The study comprises 3 phases each comprising a number of analyses.Phase 1: laboratory analyses of mine tailing behaviour1. Collation of typical tailing samples for further laboratory analyses (2016/2017)2. Accurate determination of sediment settling velocities3. Settling and consolidation columnsPhase 2: laboratory analyses to assess the effect flocculants on tailing behaviour4. Selection of flocculants legal for use in New Zealand5. Determination of optimal flocculants dosage6. Assess operational parameters affecting flocculants performance7. Accurate determination of settling velocities8. Settling and consolidation columns.Phase 3: modelling9. 1DV modelling (with and without flocculants)10. Reporting elaboration of results in a set of guidelines.The majority of the work will be executed in 2017. Pending approval it is aimed for to start the first activity before the end of 2016. Decisions on the details of the implementation of phase 2 and 3 will bebased on the results of phase 1.

Validation of (modelling) tools to predict and manage plume dispersion for deep sea mining (or dredging) operations is hampered by a general lack of field observations on the behaviour of mine tailing plumes indeep to very deep water. Validation of hydrodynamic models underlying sediment models is feasible by executing long-term (months-year) field observations. Field validation of the predicted sediment plume dispersion is much more difficult as it requires trial mining. Apart from being extremely expensive trial mining usually also requires an environmental permit i.e. a catch 22.As an alternative approach this study investigates the behaviour of mine tailings using an innovative combination of state of the art laboratory analyses and 1DV modelling to assess both the plumedispersion and the continuous process of settling deposition and bed formation of mine tailings. The analyses results enable us to narrow down the uncertainties in the critical sediment parameters required for prediction of (re)suspension and dispersion of mine tailings.Additionally this project investigates the use of economically feasible and environmentally acceptable and effective flocculants as an innovative measure to control (mitigate) the behaviour of the mine tailing plume in deep water as part of an adaptive management strategy. Mitigation and adaptive management of (deep sea) mining operations is new as far as we know flocculants have never been used in this type of projects.The results of the study will be of general interest because prediction and management of sediment plumes will be an issue for most marine mining and dredging projects. As such this project proposal meets the valorisation objectives of the Knowledge Innovation Cluster ‘Sustainable use of estuaries seas and oceans’ of the TKI Delta Technology and Maritime in an international context.

The results will be reported in an accessible set of prototype guidelines and lessons learned. Prototype, because currently these guidelines do not exist. Application in other future mining and dredging projects may result in further improvements/refinement and validation of the methodology.
Furthermore, the PPS aims for a presentation and publication of the results at a (mining) conference or publication in a journal.
The results of this study will be implemented in CRP’s updated

Alle partijen krijgen alle resultaten van het Project ter beschikking. De resultaten van de samenwerking kunnen breed verspreid worden. Partijen kunnen over deze resultaten vrijelijk publiceren. De resultaten zullen volledig openbaar beschikbaar zijn, met uitzondering van ter beschikking gestelde achtergrondkennis.

De informatie over dit project wordt kenbaar gemaakt via de website van de TKI Deltatechnologie (projectbeschrijving) en de projectwiki van Deltares (projectvoortgang en resultaten).

Na de datum waarop deze Overeenkomst in werking is getreden, maar uiterlijk tot een jaar voor de beoogde datum waarop het Project zal zijn voltooid, kunnen ondernemers en/of onderzoeksinstellingen, die op het terrein van het relevante subsidieprogramma van het TKI werkzaam zijn alsnog als Partij toetreden. Een later toetredende Partij zal een nader overeen te komen bijdrage in kind en/of in cash moeten leveren die in redelijke verhouding staat tot zijn relatief aandeel in het Project na toetreding. De overige Partijen ontvangen vervolgens naar rato een terugbetaling en/ of gedeeltelijke vrijstellingen van hun nog te leveren bijdrage in kind, voor zover niet besloten wordt de bijdrage van de later toetredende Partij aan het projectbudget toe te voegen.