Creating Value with the Future in Mind - Anglo American South Africa

managing our impact on the environment Waste management and Air quality
waste management
and air quality
the Issue
We generate significant
quantities of mineral
waste and some of our
operations generate
gaseous and particulate
emissions, which are
costly to manage and
have the potential to
harm the environment
and human health if
not controlled.
Number of large-volume
tailings facilities audited
in 2012
69
Our strategy and
management approach
Our waste and air-quality risks and
activities are managed in line with
the mandatory requirements of the
Anglo American Environment Way
performance standards on mineral
residue, non-mineral waste, hazardous
substances, rehabilitation, water
and air quality. We apply the
‘avoid, reduce, re-use and recycle’
waste management hierarchy to
ensure the least possible impact on
human health and the environment.
Operational excellence
Operational excellence in relation to
waste management focuses largely
on the responsible management of
mineral-waste storage facilities, where
we carefully monitor structural stability
through regular inspections and
monitoring. Key environmental risks
include surface and groundwater
contamination, dust generation and
spontaneous combustion associated
with coal mining residues. Ground
and surface water contamination risks
are mitigated through clean and dirty
water separation, dirty water collection,
treatment and re-use. In some
operations we have introduced fines
dewatering technology to improve
water recovery and reduce the risk
of seepage from storage facilities.
‘Wetting’ of tailings dams, soil or rock
cladding and vegetation establishment
on waste facilities are approaches
adopted to mitigate risks posed by
dust. Wherever possible, rehabilitation
of waste facilities is undertaken during
the operational life of the mine.
Regular internal and third-party
risk assessments and audits are
undertaken at our facilities as part
of the Group’s drive for continuous
improvement under ISO 14001. In
addition, all facilities are audited by
our internal Technical Solutions’
consulting function on a risk basis.
The outcomes of this audit process
are reviewed by the S&SD subcommittee
of the Board, annually.
The management of hazardous
substances is subject to stringent
legal requirements and is carefully
managed, both at our operations and
at the receiving waste facilities that are
regularly audited by second parties.
Systems are in place to ensure
compliance with the European Union
REACH (registration, evaluation,
authorisation and restriction of
chemical substances) regulations
and there are no instances of
non-compliance to report. We do
not transport any waste deemed
hazardous under the terms of the
Basel Convention Annex I, II, II and VIII;
nor do we ship waste internationally.
All our operations have dust
monitoring and control programmes
in place. Our air quality performance
requirements are based on European
Union Standards and World Health
Organization guidelines and apply
throughout the lifecycle of our projects
and operations. At operations where
air quality management is a material
issue, we have completed air
emission inventories to identify
the significant emission sources
to facilitate better management.
Technology
Once waste-reduction opportunities
are exhausted, we actively explore
the re-use of by-products. In some
instances, this involves re-mining
waste facilities, while in others we
research and trial novel applications
for by-products.
Our Thermal Coal business in South
Africa is involved in the development
of a power plant that will convert
low-quality discard coal from three
of its collieries into electricity, some
of which will be supplied back to
our mines via the national grid. The
450 megawatt (MW) plant, will use a
relatively new technology to generate
power from waste coal that would
otherwise have been stockpiled. The
three mines involved, together dump
up to 4.5 million tonnes of coal a year.
The power plant will not only reduce
the environmental impact of our
discard coal dumps, but also create
jobs and provide inward foreign
investment of around $900 million to
contribute to regional development.
We have selected a developer and
first production of power is expected
to start in 2016. Another enterprising
example of re-use of by-products is
at our Minas-Rio iron ore project in
Brazil, which has a project to transform
plant tailings, essentially composed
of finely ground silica (sand), into
various high-quality products for
use in civil construction.
Once wastereduction
opportunities
are exhausted,
we actively
explore the
re-use of
by-products. In
some instances,
this involves
re-mining waste
facilities, while
in others we
research and
trial novel
applications for
by-products.
66 Anglo American plc Sustainable Development Report 2012