Heap leach facilities are some of the largest man-made fill structures in the world.

The design and construction of heap leach facilities has to follow the existing regulations to protect the environment against the very harsh and hazardous conditions.

A very important but also critical component in the design, construction and operation of heap leach facilities is the basal lining system. It has to be carefully designed to guarantee a sufficient quality, to increase the solution recovery and thus improve the operational benefit.

The surrounding or climate/weather conditions in the area of a heap leach facility can lead to the requirement of a capping sealing system upon completion of the mining activities.

This paper presents a summary of the common heap leach pad design using geosynthetic components.

Download technical paper here