Wash mountains

Tailings are in coal mining in the treatment ( coal washing separated) from the product residue, so not usable as fuel rock mined mountains called.

In coal washing, the difference in density between rock and coal is used to separate product and mountains in a wet process in jigging machines. This requires a certain minimum grain size. Flotation processes are used below this grain size .

The washing mountains with a grain size of approx. 2 - 300 mm are used economically as dam building material and backfill. However, this use may be opposed to environmental aspects, as the wash mountains can contain sulfur.

The non-agricultural use tailings are used as offset mountains reinstalled in the mine or on heaps disposed of as waste. The economically hardly usable flotation residues are added to the dump material.