Work has begun in the Chedi-Khol District of Tuva to reclaim waste from the tailings storage facility of the «Tuvacobalt» plant. The underlying layer is currently being filled. The project to eliminate the «Tuvacobalt» tailings storage facilities was included in the list of measures under the comprehensive plan for the socio-economic development of Tuva.
As a result of the work, 22 ha of land will be reclaimed and 1.4 million cubic metres of industrial raw materials classified as Hazard Classes I and II will be eliminated. The waste is located in five cells, three of which remain open. They are exposed to sunlight, meltwater and rainwater, as well as wind erosion.
The waste will be contained using three layers. First, the bottom layer of loam will be placed and compacted, followed by the installation of «TechPolymer» geomembrane (type 4/1), then another 20-30 cm layer of loam, and finally a layer of fertile soil will be placed on top. The next stage in closing the hazardous waste site will be biological reclamation: sowing grass seeds to prevent erosion and the wind removal of the surface soil layer.
