Our experienced Geoscience team provides Materials Characterisation services to the mining, private industry and land development sectors.  We have a proven capability for preparing waste rock and tailings characterisation reports to assist mining companies with identification and management of waste products. MBS currently provides geoscience services to gold, nickel, copper, lithium, mineral
sands, rare earths, chromium, manganese, iron ore, lead and zinc explorers and producers in
WA, SA, NT, as well as Queensland and Africa. Our services provide our clients with:

• Determination of Potentially Acid Forming (PAF) waste rock and tailings volumes and provision of appropriate recommendations for long term storage of these materials.
• Identification of benign waste rock and materials that can be used for operational or rehabilitation purposes, e.g. hardstand construction, armouring material for waste rock stockpiles or tailings storage facilities.
• Determination of the potential for waste materials to be dispersive/erosive and
  provision of appropriate management options.
• Appraisal of climatic influence on behaviour of waste rock and tailings.
• Long-term closure planning to meet regulatory requirements.

Material Characterisation Assistance

• Sample selection programs and field assessments.
• Static and Kinetic Geochemical Test Procedures (such as Acid Base Accounting) for waste rock and tailings to determine their potential to generate acid or neutral metalliferous drainage according to state, national and international procedures accepted by regulators.
• Characterisation of seepage water quality associated with waste rock stockpiles and tailings storage facilities, including saline and neutral mine drainage potential.
• Ecological Risk Assessment (Tiers 1, 2 and 3) including quantitative geochemical modelling (Tier 2) and toxicity assessments (Tier 3) of the impacts of waste streams on the
  environment.