Behind the Scenes with Bryan

Paul is the Chief Executive Officer at 5E Advanced Materials, Inc. 5E is focused on enabling decarbonization, helping the world’s food security crisis and re-shoring critical materials including Boron and Lithium at its 5E Boron Americas Complex at Fort Cady, California.

Michael is the Managing Director, Mining and Energy at Interknowlogy, a company who helps organizations unlock actionable insights and streamline operations through tools that deliver real-time, intuitive, and visually compelling outcomes. Michael and I discuss how his company has been helping his mining clients and how their approach can be used to improve tailings facility safety.

Todd is a Principal Consultant (Non-Conventional Tailings) at SRK in Denver, Colorado. Todd and I discuss many aspects regarding technology advancement in the tailings space, and blended tailings and waste rock in particular.

Ed Sage is a Geospatial Solutions Specialist and InSAR Scientist - Satellite Mapping at Viridien, an advanced technology, digital and Earth data company. Ed and I speak of many things InSAR.

Katherine is the User Success Manager for Geotechnical Analysis at Seequent. She and I discuss their GeoStudio software.

Rick is a Principal with Klohn Crippen Berger in Vancouver. He is a geotechnical engineer who says he works with hi clients to find practical and sustainable solutions to their challenges in the mining industry. You can read the article that Rick and I discussed here:https://klohn.com/news-and-events/kcb-featured-in-vancouver-geotechnical-society-magazine/?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=Social&utm_id=VGS_Magazine

Lakshmin is a senior director at NexWayv, Inc, a company that specializes in water management projects, especially dams of all sorts. Lakshmin and I discuss various aspects of ai.

Mike is the Founder and Senior Technical Advisor of Okane Consultants. Okane helps mining companies return the land responsibly and safely at the end of a mine’s lifecycle. In this episode Mike and I discuss practical lessons learned from work in mine closure projects.

Ben has been involved in the mining industry for the majority of his working life and has experienced the industry from some very different perspectives. Firstly working in base metal concentrators around the world (Australia, Indonesia, Ireland and South Africa) in technical and managerial roles. More recently he has worked for mineral processing equipment suppliers. During the pandemic he co-founded the Executive Micro-Certificate in Economic Leadership in Mining offered through MiningEd / BRIMM at the University of British Columbia. The program (a mini, mining focused, business course) is to enable better decision making across the mining industry and to encourage...

Jeremy is a Senior Associate / Senior Tailing Engineer at Thurber Engineering Ltd. in Calgary. He obtained his Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg, South Africa, specializing in geotechnical engineering, hydraulic engineering and project management.
Fifteen years of his career were spent working for the Fraser Alexander Group, an international specialist tailings contractor based in South Africa, in the fields of tailings design and operation, and solid and hazardous waste management. The next ten years were spent in environmental engineering consulting, environmental assessment, public accountability and sustainable...

Juan is a Senior Geotechnical Engineer at KCB Australia Pty Ltd. in Perth, Australia. Juan and I once again get together to hear about what he's been up to with tailings and geotechnical engineering.

Chelsea is the President of Elevate Civil Engineering, where she leads civil and geotechnical projects, such as tailings, dams, and mining infrastructure, with a focus on ethical practice and meaningful collaboration with Indigenous communities. Her work supports sustainable, culturally aligned outcomes that reflect both technical expertise and community priorities. Chelsea is also the founder of Co-Creation, a personal and professional development practice offering alignment-based courses and spiritual growth experiences designed to help individuals and organizations connect with intuition, purpose, and values-driven leadership.

In this episode I test Chat GPT on its knowledge of the current state of tailings management.

Mike is the Founder and Senior Technical Advisor of Okane Consultants. Okane helps mining companies return the land responsibly and safely at the end of a mine’s lifecycle. In this episode Mike and I discuss practical lessons learned from work in mine closure projects.

Caius is a specialist civil geotechnical engineer with over 30 years of experience in dams, embankments and earthworks, from concept studies to detailed engineering to construction management, operation and surveillance, closure and rehabilitation. He is also an adjunct professor at the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering. Caius and I chat about his wonderful career and what he has learned along the way.

Scott has 30 years of technical and leadership experience in geotechnical engineering, with a focus on mining and dam safety. Scott has led multi-disciplinary design teams for complex structures, and served as senior reviewer for high profile, high consequence designs. Scott has managed an engineering group comprising multiple teams and up to 100 total staff, with direct responsibility for annual budgets more than $50 million. Scott led the implementation of the Mining Association of Canada’s Tailings Management Protocol within a large mining organization.

Jason is the Managing Director of Powerhouse Renewables in Perth, Australia. Powerhouse is seeing good results from some work they've completed with Rio Tinto. Powerhouse is unlike most renewables companies, they not only deliver renewable solutions but they also ensure that the energy transition is optimized through energy efficient technologies.

This is a lengthier episode, so buckle in for a long ride.

Mike is the Founder and now a Senior Technical Advisor to O'Kane Consultants. Mike is a fellow geotechnical engineer.

Okane helps mining companies return the land responsibly and safely at the end of a mine’s lifecycle. They believe in challenging the status quo and advocating for meaningful partnerships and positive outcomes for community stakeholders and Indigenous rightsholders. Their solutions help their clients achieve positive financial, environmental, and social outcomes from feasibility to relinquishment.

Debbie is a hardrock mining policy expert with over 30 years of hands-on expertise with the environmental and public land laws and regulations pertaining to mineral exploration and mine development.
She provides environmental permitting and government relations consulting services to mineral exploration and mining clients. She has a proven track record of successfully representing clients in legislative and administrative issues on the state and federal levels and in securing project permits for exploration and mining projects.
Since 1993, she has been an active participant in the legislative dialogue to change the U.S. Mining Law. She has provided testimonies...

Satish is the Managing Director, Clareo, a think tank that is involved in many industrial sectors. As their website says, Clareo is a leading global strategy consulting firm focused on solving complex challenges for the mining, energy, and food sectors. With over 20 years of experience, Clareo collaborates with Fortune 500 clients to develop innovative strategies that drive business transformation and growth.Satish and I discuss the panel discussion he took part in at the MIT Global Summit on Mine Tailings Innovation.

Sina is a geomechanics product manager at Rocscience. He led the development and improvement of Slide2 and Slide3, two of the most advanced software tools for LEM slope stability analysis as well as probabilistic and reliability-based approaches to geotechnical design. 

Chad is an internationally recognized, experienced and competent geotechnical engineer, project and operations manager, executive and technical principal. His nearly 34 working years have benefited from a suite of various experiences and learnings, culminating in a career focused on geoenvironmental engineering, tailings engineering and tailings management. Chad and I speak current trends in the tailings world and provide some advice to engineering students and to those just coming out of school.

Allison has had a pretty amazing career, and now specializes in ESG, Sustainability, Community Engagement, Social Impact, Holistic Investments in Natural Resources & Energy, and DEI. Amongst other things, Allison and I discuss DEI and how it can improve our workplace.

Alastair leads Insight Terra, a company at the forefront of developing real-time monitoring solutions for tailings storage facilities. Based in South Africa, he brings a unique perspective on the evolution of tailings management, particularly in the African mining context. He is involved with SAIMM and recently collaborated with the newly announced Global Tailings Management Institute (GTMI) in South Africa. Alastair and I discuss the future of tailings monitoring and management.

Insight Terra's work in implementing cutting-edge technology for real-time monitoring of tailings facilities aligns perfectly with the technical discussions your podcast is known for. I b...

Hanna is Geohazard & Ground Engineer at Geovert, a world leader in natural hazard mitigation solutions. She is a self-proclaimed rock and dirt nerd working in the world of geohazards and ground improvement.

David Reid is a Principal Tailings Engineer with Red Earth Engineering, A Geosyntec Company in Perth, Western Australia, but more importantly he runs their lab which offers many advanced testing methods.

Chad is an internationally recognized, experienced and competent geotechnical engineer, project and operations manager, executive and technical principal. His nearly 34 working years have benefited from a suite of various experiences and learnings, culminating in a career focused on geoenvironmental engineering, tailings engineering and tailings management. Chad and I speak about his impressive career and his current direction in his career and life.

Ben is a Senior Principal Geotechnical Engineer with WSP in British Canada. Ben and I discuss the many merits and challenges associated with comingled tailings and waste rock.

Kim literally needs no introduction. She has worked for many years in the consulting world (both with large companies and on her own). She was also the head of tailings for Newmont, one of the largest mining companies in the world. Kim is now back to consulting on her own and in on the teaching staff at CSM. Kim is incredibly accomplished and has more energy than anyone I've ever known. Kim and I discuss numerous activities she has been associated with.

Kim literally needs no introduction. She has worked for many years in the consulting world (both with large companies and on her own). She was also the head of tailings for Newmont, one of the largest mining companies in the world. Kim is now back to consulting on her own and in on the teaching staff at CSM. Kim is incredibly accomplished and has more energy than anyone I've ever known. Kim and I discuss numerous activities she has been associated with.

Siamak is a tailings and landfill specialist, and the overseer of TNA, Tailings News Alerts.

Julie is the Executive Director of Mining Minnesota. Julie leads a coalition of community and industry leaders who advocate for responsible production of mineral resources in Minnesota. Julie previously served as the Environmental Manager of Cleveland-Cliffs' Hibbing Taconite operation, shepherding Minnesota’s second largest iron mining and processing facility through environmental permitting and operational compliance. She then guided the water resources program for Twin Metals Minnesota as the Director of Water Resources, including oversight of surface water, groundwater, and wetlands baseline studies and project modeling.

Kim is the Global Director of Mine Closure at WSP. She has over 25 years of experience in resource projects in most states of Australia and internationally including across Africa and South America, ranging from greenfields exploration to active mine expansions to closure planning and implementation. She has worked in operational, project and consulting roles covering environmental and social impact assessment, mine closure planning and environmental management roles, including regulator and stakeholder engagement. She is a qualified environmental management auditor and has been involved in a number of audits, including due diligence and international audits.

Omar is with WSP where he is an Assistant Vice President -Civil Engineer. He is also Vice Chair of the SME Environmental Division Board as well as Vice Chair, SME Tucson Section. Omar and I discuss the role of civil engineering in the design of mine waste management systems and the value of being active in a professional society.

Assheton is the CEO of TDi Sustainability. TDi Sustainability is a global consulting firm that enables business to thrive while living in harmony with people and planet. From responsible sourcing, auditing, and impact investments at the heart of the mining industry, to risk management, ESG standards, compliance, management systems and bespoke digital tools… their global team is at the coal face (literally) to help turn ideas into solutions.

Marco is the Head of the Geotechnical Department at Line Creek Operation of Elk Valley Resource. He is a geotechnical engineer with over 15 years of experience in open pit mining. He is passionate about nurturing the next wave of geotechnical talent and delights in the playful intricacies of granular materials.

Ryan is the Executive Director at Better In Our Back Yard. We discuss the many challenges regarding permitting a mine in the US.

Terry is President (North America) at SRK Consulting. Terry and I discuss his impressive career and provide advice to the next generation of engineers and scientists.

Marcelo is a geotechnical engineer with Red Earth Engineering Pty Ltd, now a part of Geosyntec. In this episode Marcelo discusses a recent paper on compaction.

Benjamin Neville is the Managing Director of the Saligna Management Group. He is Australian based, and a standout in project management and leadership. With engineering credentials from Queensland University of Technology and a commitment to continuous improvement, he's led pivotal projects like the CIMIC One HSE Culture Program at UGL/Gryphon Psychology (2023) and the Mental Health for Leaders initiative at Hitachi (2021-2022).

His global talent development efforts were acknowledged in a partnership with Hitachi/Lloyd’s Register (2021), and he maintained rigorous standards in management commitment to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 at Rio Tinto. Benjamin's leadership earned him the...

Catherine is an experienced mining engineer with 12+ years in the mining industry, specializing in both underground and open pit operations, and a proven track record of demonstrating strong, effective leadership and team development.
Amongst other things, we discuss Catherine's book, " The mine that fell asleep in the Goldfields".

Don't blame this on Snoop. It’s parody.

Joe is an Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University. Amongst other things Joe and I discuss cover design and longevity and the need to get more engineering students interested in tailings.

Ashok is an Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Adjunct Faculty, Civil Engineering , New Mexico Tech at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Ashok and I discuss his involvement in green desalination using forward osmosis.

Rens is a Technical Fellow with WSP and a geochemist with more than 30 years of experience in the mining industry.

Carlo is a director at Minebridge Software, the developers of Muk3D. Carlo and I chat about the capabilities of is software and how it's making TSF design simpler and better.

Carlos is the RTFE at the Cobre Panama mine which is owned by First Quantum Minerals. The mine is currently under shutdown orders by the Panamanian government. Carlos and I discuss the challenges of maintaining a tailings facility that is in hiatus.

Lindsay is an expert in risk management and Executive Director at World Mine Tailings Failures. We discuss here amazing career, and her involvement in tailings which came to her later in life.

Justin is an Associate Partner and Principal Civil Engineer at SRK in Johannesburg, South Africa, specializing in mine closure. Justin and I discuss his approach to closure projects.

Tim Fitton is an independent tailings/geotechnical engineer in Australia, running Fitton Tailings Consultants. Amongst other things Tim and I discuss tailings beach slope prediction.

Marcelo is a geotechnical engineer with Red Earth Engineering Pty Ltd, now a part of Geosyntec. In this episode Marcelo discusses the material point method (MPM) and the consequences of getting dam breach analysis wrong.

Vikram Yadav is an Associate Professor in the chemical and biological engineering department at the University of British Columbia and the Director, MEL Program in Sustainable Process Engineering. He is also the Co-Founder of Tersa Earth Innovations. The company is advancing unique biological technologies that extract toxins, metals and metalloids from mine water.

Greg is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Alaska Energy Metals Corporation. Alaska Energy Metals Corporation (AEMC) is working on a large-scale nickel project in Central Alaska to safeguard America’s energy future, stemming from the heightened demand for electric vehicles (EV). The demand for nickel is skyrocketing because of its use in EV batteries. AEMC believes nickel will be the main limiting factor on America’s ability to transition fully to EVs because it is vulnerable to supply disruption of nickel and therefore must develop its own, domestic sources. Greg has forty years of experience. A geologist and mini...

Mike Ravella is the Chief Innovation Officer at Veracio. In this episode we discuss Veracio’s research, innovation and technology for the mining industry.

Sabrina is the founder and CEO of SOOP Strategies. We talk about her amazing career and what SOOP does for their clients. SOOP offers mining and sustainability expertise services to the extractives sector. You can find out more about her and her company at https://www.soopstrategies.com/

Matt is the co-Founder and CEO at AstroForge, an ambitious company who was partnered with Elon Musk's SpaceX in hopes of mining platinum group metals from a near-earth asteroid. Matt and I discuss this seemingly sci-fi journey into space mining.

Marco is the Head of Geotechnical Department - Line Creek Operation for Teck Resources. Marco is researching the shear strength characteristics of waste rock and rock fill.

Ken is the Director of Tailings Solutions at FLSmidth. Amongst other things, Ken and I discuss the current practices and trends in filtration and Ecotails.

Satish Rao is a business advisor and a mining expert helping shape the future of sustainable growth for the industrial economy. Currently, he serves as a managing director at Clareo, a global strategy firm, where he focuses on energy, resources, and materials.
Rao helps businesses transform to meet future decarbonization, ESG, sustainability, and growth objectives. He has advised some of the world’s leading resources, energy, and advanced materials companies such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Anglo American, Baker Hughes, BP, Castrol, GE, Exelon, Owens Corning, Boise Cascade, and Essity.

In this episode I speak with Alex Pienaar from Bentley Systems, specifically about their data management systems, iTwin IoT and sensemetrics.

Don't blame this on Snoop. It’s parody.

Michael and I primarily discuss the goals of his company, Circular Mine, which is to reduce/eliminate mine waste primarily by finding viable uses for it. You can find out more about Circular Mine at www.Circular Mine.com

Michael spoke about a project with AMIRA that is looking for sponsors. To be a sponsor you need to be a member of AMIRA. If anyone is interested, you could reach out to Silvia Black at silvia.black@amira.global

Walter is a hydrogeologist based in Stantec's Brisbane office. Among other things, Walter and I discuss current and future trends tailings dam monitoring.

Dana is the interim president of the Nevada Mining Association. She is also the past president.

Brahian and I discuss his recent paper, "Non-Linear Dynamic Analysis of Filtered Dry Stacked Tailings Using the SANISAND-Sf and PM4Sand Constitutive Models". We also discuss a potential change to the CPT penetration rate to keep penetration undrained.

I happened to run into Bill recently in Belo Horizonte. This was a really good episode. Among other things, Bill and I discuss probable maximum precipitation (PMP) estimation, especially in data limited areas.  Bill had an article on this topic in The Journal of Dam Safety, Volume 17, Issue 2 of 2020.  You can find out more about Bill's company at www.AppliedWeatherAssociates.com

In this episode, I am interviewed by the guys at the Mining Minds podcast.  Mining Minds are a group of friends in Northeastern Nevada who all work in the mining industry.  I highly recommend you listen to their podcast.  

I was a guest on Rob Tyson's podcast: DIG DEEPER. Here is what we discussed.

Shawn and I discuss in situ testing

Aniseh is a geotechnical engineer and PhD student in the UAlberta Geotechnical Centre at the University of Alberta. She is studying the geotechnical and geochemical characteristics of blended tailings and waste rock.

In this episode the tables are turned on me, and I let my journalist son ask me the questions for a change.

Dale is a hydrogeophysist with HydroGeophysics Inc. We talk about challenges and prizes for using geophysics in mining projects. You can find out more about his company at www.hgiworld.com, or contact him directly at dale@hgiworld.com

Heather is with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT).  She is the self-professed oil sands "Queen of Clay".  She is working towards her own Vision 2030 - where by 2030 fluid fine tailings in oil sands are no longer a concern as reclamation methods will have been found and implemented to return the tailings pond to a useable boreal ecosystem.

Sam and I discuss how his company uses satellite stereo pairs, along with various light spectrum to make their assessments, including their assessment of the Jagerfontein TSF failure.  You can find out more about their services at www.photosat.ca.  You can contact Sam at sam.rivet@photosat.ca

Dawn is the Digital Solutions Manager for Epiroc Digital Solutions Canada 

To schedule a No-cost Digital Roadmap Strategy Session: dawn.larsen@epiroc.com Contact: Dawn Larsen, Epiroc Digital Solutions Canada 1-249-377-9983

Case Studies:

HudBay: Increased mucking rate by 7% Up to 15% increase in productivity 

Fosterville: Expects to cut half the time off evacuations with Epiroc Digital Solutions’ Mobilaris Emergency Support https://www.epiroc.com/en-ca/customer-stories/2020/mobilaris-at-kirkland-lake-gold  

Goldfields: Expect a 12-month ROI on Implementing Digitalization in the Mine https://www.epiroc.com/en-ca/customer-stories/2020/gold-fields-australia-modernization-program 

...

Jurgen and I chat about the filtration equipment that his company manufactures and sells.  You can find out more about his company at www.bokela.com

Nahyan Rana is a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo and a Geoscientist-in-Training at Klohn Crippen Berger, specializing in Engineering Geology and Remote Sensing for Tailings Dams.  He has several publications about tailings.  Amongst other thing, we discuss dam breaches and flow failures.  

Anita is a Partner and Director of Recruiting at the recruiting firm Brooks & Nelson LLC.  She has a pretty amazing career which she shares with us, as well as a passion for a group she supports strongly, Women in Mining.  

Abigail is a graduate student at the University of Alberta's Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental program.  We talk about her recent paper, "COMPARING ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT AND THE OBSERVATIONAL METHOD FOR MINE CLOSURE AND RECLAMATION".  You can find the paper at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366781153_Comparing_adaptive_management_and_the_observational_method_for_mine_closure_and_reclamation

Haley is a geotechnical engineer who recently completed her PhD at the University of Alberta.  Amongst other things, Haley and I discuss her CDA award winning paper titled, "A Failure Modes and Effects Analysis Framework for Assessing Geotechnical Risks of Tailings Dam Closure" which was published in the Journal "Minerals".

In this ode to my father, I hope I can evoke some wonderful memories from your own past.

Karen and Monica have a different way to couple social and technical aspects of tailings management.  They have jointly launched their new Tailings Area of Social Risk (TASR) solution. The method looks to align tailings management with principles of social inclusion and participation, while respecting the scientific process to define the areas of risk.

Lois is a geotechnical engineer working in the mining industry.  Lois and I discuss her ideas on mine closure and much more.  

Pascale is a geotechnical engineer with a PhD from the University of British Columbia.  Pascale worked in academia for several years before joining Itasca.  Amongst other things Pascale and I discuss numerical modeling of tailings facilities.

Gavan is a geotechnical/dams engineer based in Melborn, Australia. He is now working for himself at Hunter Geotechnical.  Hunter and I discuss challenges and rewards of working in the industry.

Jorge is an Assistant Professor Geosystems Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.  Amongst other things, Jorge and I discuss the TAILENG program.

In this episode I speak with Keith Russell and Anuj Arya of the global energy transition advisory firm Partners in Performance.  You can find out more about their services as they relate to mining at https://www.pip.global/en/industry/metals-and-mining/

Marcelo Llano is a Principal Geotechnical Engineer with Red Earth Engineering Pty Ltd in Brisbane.  Marcelo and I discuss various topics and challenges regarding tailings management practices.

Martin is a geotechnical engineer with Knight Piesold in the UK.  Martin and I discuss many topics related to tailings, but also some challenges being neuro-diverse.

Arnoud and I discuss how his company uses blockchain to assist supply chain matters, paperlessly. You can find out more about his work at www.minehub.com

Dave is the Vice President, Engineering at EFI Global.  As VP of Engineering, Dave is responsible for the oversight of the engineering service line; product delivery, quality, training and mentoring, business development, and executive team liaison. This role also includes teaching continuing education classes to individuals in the insurance, engineering, and architecture industries on topics such as building construction, structural engineering, and building envelope investigations. 

Dave and I discuss his career and his role in EFI Global as well as the importance of continuing your education throughout your career.   

Timothy D. Stark is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with an expertise in Geotechnical Engineering. Dr. Stark has been conducting interdisciplinary research and teaching on the static and seismic stability of natural and manmade slopes, such as dams, levees, floodwalls, and waste containment facilities, railroad geotechnics, geosynthetics and geomembranes, soil liquefaction during earthquakes, and stabilization and behavior of dredged material containment areas.

In this episode, Tim and I focus our conversation on the Fundao TSF failure and what lessons it has taught us.  

Juan and I discuss his recent research with a CPT calibration chamber and the use of the NorSand model for tailings.  As Juan says in his LinkedIn profile: "This work presents novel CPT testing in a calibration chamber of mostly contractive silty tailings, the characterization within the critical state mechanics framework using NorSand, and the comparison of the laboratory data with spherical cavity expansion simulation results using CPTwidget. From this comparison exercise with Gold and Platinum tailings, a rescaling equation is proposed to improve the fit between the simulation results and the laboratory data. We hope this work helps to i...

Andrea, Tomas and I discuss the status of their new Domino filter and also how they are using IoT and AI to help monitor their equipment remotely, keeping it healthy and happy.  You can find out more about their products and services at https://www.diemmefiltration.com/

In this episode Diana, Josh and I discuss their new Nevada-based company, Nexus Environmental Consultants.  You can find out more about their offerings at https://nexus-env.com/

Henry Petroski is an American engineer specializing in failure analysis. A professor emeritus both of civil engineering and history at Duke University, he is also a prolific author. Petroski has written over a dozen books.

In this episode, Franco and I discuss risk analyses and how he conducts risk assessments for tailings facilities.  You can find out more about him at his website:  www.riskope.com

In this episode John and Lanny teach us about a new way to more closely monitor the location of the supernatant pond on your TSF.

You can reach John at www.aamonitoring.net

You can reach Lanny at www.satshot.com

In this episode Tim and I discuss many of the confusing aspects of non-fungible tokens.

In this episode Tim and I discuss many aspects of the confusing world of crypo currency.