auma is preparing, for a mining operator, the solutions analysis for managing a deposit of saline waste accumulated by extractive activity in Central Catalonia: an alternatives study combining the technical feasibility, environmental impact and cost of each management and restorationscenario.
Project overview
| Client | Mining operator (confidential) |
| Market | Industry |
| Practice area | Waste and circular economy · Environment |
| Location | Central Catalonia (Spain) |
| Services | Management and restoration alternatives study |
| Year | 2025 |
The challenge
Saline waste deposits are among the most complex environmental challenges in mining:
- Very large volumes accumulated over decades of extraction.
- Salinisation risk for surface water and groundwater if management is inadequate.
- A difficult balance between material valorisation, land restoration and economic feasibility.
The auma solution
The study tackles the problem with a multi-criteria alternatives analysis:
- Identification and characterisation of the possible management scenarios: commercial salt valorisation, backfilling, containment and progressive restoration.
- Comparative appraisal of each alternative by environmental impact, timeline, cost and regulatory fit.
- A phased management roadmap with verifiable milestones.
The result
- The client holds an objective basis for prioritising management and restoration investments.
- Alternatives ranked by explicit criteria, defensible before the authorities and stakeholders.
- A monitoring framework to adapt the roadmap as the deposit evolves.
Environmental legacies of this scale have no single solution: they have scenarios. The consultant's job is to make them comparable so the decision is informed and defensible.
Frequently asked questions
What is a salt tailings deposit?
A deposit generated by potash and salt mining: surplus extraction material accumulates at the surface in large deposits that can salinise soils and water if not properly managed.
What regulations govern mining waste?
At state level, Royal Decree 975/2009 on the management of waste from extractive industries and the protection and rehabilitation of affected areas, plus the water and contaminated soil rules applicable to each case.
How can a saline waste deposit be restored?
The usual routes combine commercial valorisation of the salt, control and treatment of leachates and runoff, containment of non-valorisable areas and progressive morphological and vegetation restoration.
Managing a complex environmental legacy?
We turn it into a roadmap of comparable, defensible alternatives.
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