# Complex Processing of Saponite Waste from a Diamond-Mining Enterprise
## 2 Literature Review  
In 2002, [PERSON], [PERSON] and [PERSON] created a methodological guide for assessing the forecast resources of diamonds and noble and non-ferrous metals [9]. This guide examines the methodological basis and techniques for identifying promising areas and estimating the diamond resources there. The paper classifies the main types of diamond deposits. In addition, quantitative geological and industrial models of diamond deposits are described, the characteristics of which can be used to calculate the material balance of industrial facilities [9]. According to their data, today, 97% of mined diamonds in Russia come from primary deposits and they account for the bulk of the balance reserves (94.7%). An increase in production at the Lomonosov diamond deposit entails a number of problems, one of which is the utilization of a large volume of clay rock tailings. One distinctive feature of this diamond deposit is the high content of dioctahedral and trioctahedral  
Figure 1: Influence of climatic parameters on the implementation of the technological process of the concentration plant [7; 8]. -clay minerals of the smectite group found in the kimberlite rock. This is characteristic of the alkaline and ultrabasic rocks of the diamondiferous Arkhangelsk province. This phenomenon is called the \"claying\" of kimberlites [10]. Over the course of technological processes using water at the concentrator, waste is formed (sludges) with a large concentration of clay particles, predominantly saponite mineral. A significant increase in the tailing volume is associated with the increased content of suspended smectites in the water, causing the tailing dump size to increase, leading to its premature overflow. Those facts force the enterprise to build a dam and to occupy new areas. During the first two years of operation (from 2005 to 2007), an impoundment was built in the tailings pond. At the first stage, the dam was 116 m high. In December 2007, the second stage of the dam was put into operation. This was 120 m high, ensuring the operation of the tailing dump in 2011. The annual volume of ore processing in 2009 amounted to 1,050,000 tonnes. When calculating the volume of the stacked tailings, the density of the particles is assumed to be 2.7 g/cm\({}^{3}\). In parallel to the development of the field, the volume of tailings to be stored increases, and the capacity required to fill the tailing pond grows accordingly. It seems natural that with such volumes of tailings, it is necessary to search for ways to use their most interesting component: smectite-containing rock [10]. According to the material balance, the main drawback of the saponite ore dressing method currently used in the Arkhangelsk region is that almost the entire volume of crushed ore must be passed through the tailing pond separation system when processing large volumes of a rock mass. The further development of deposits will lead to a significant increase in the volume of pulp (water and saponite) in sludge reservoirs. Due to the highly dispersed particles and the large diffuse layer, the saponite particles are highly resistant to precipitation in water. Moreover, the presence of micro-aggregates of clay minerals along with sand grains, which determine the physical and mechanical properties of formed structures, negatively affects the stability of tailing dams [10]. The disadvantages of thickening the saponite-containing suspension using high-compression thickeners are high capital costs, high consumption of reagents, high power consumption, and several other shortcomings. The use of domestic and foreign coagulants and flocculants to precipitate suspensions because of their high ion exchange capacity has not yet yielded an effective result, and information has been revealed about the re-stabilization of the suspension after the addition of coagulants.