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Iranian steel firm pioneers first mechanized dry tailings project in Mideast
Morteza Sharifi, who oversees the initiative, told ILNA that the project has achieved 55% physical progress and represents both an environmental and economic transformation in Iran’s steel sector.
The plan, implemented with European technology, is designed to reduce water usage, optimize tailings management methods, and lower environmental risks. Iran faces a severe water shortage, and Sharifi said all consumer sectors must adopt scientific and engineering methods to optimize water use.
He noted that Sangan Steel Mining Industries Company (SMIC) was the first in Khorasan Razavi Province to build a tailings dewatering system, which returns water to the production cycle.
In the new approach, tailings are processed into what is known as “dry tailings,” with reduced moisture, and then directed to dumps. The initiative replaces the traditional method of pumping slurry to tailings dams, which consumes large volumes of water, is costly and time-intensive, and carries serious environmental hazards