The traditional system of impounding tailings slurry is far from perfect, as it puts the watershed at risk of contamination and requires dams that can and do fail. The alternative, dewatering and stacking the tailings, has been viewed as complicated and overly costly. Outotec wants to simplify the process with its Dry Tailings Plant, which covers the dewatering and stacking process from start to finish. “We can deliver a complete process equipment package, which will deliver better performance at a lower cost,” Toni Kuisma, sales manager with Outotec, explained. The plant includes all the components required to thicken, filter, convey and dry stack the tailings. While the concept of dry stacking is hardly new, a complete system that oversees the entire process in a way that is economically viable is rare, according to Kuisma. The process also provides “intrinsic geotechnical stability,” said Mark Wallgren, also an Outotec sales manager, which makes the plant more resistant to seismic activity than most tailings solutions.