Backfilling

The backfilling process marks a major milestone for mines, signalling that the extraction process has come to a close.  Backfilling provides support to the surrounding rock mass, mitigates the risk of surface level subsidence and creates a safer working area for mining activities whilst also while also ensuring the smallest ecological impact on the surrounding environment.

At Master Builders Solutions, we provide backfilling solutions suited to the needs of underground construction and excavation projects across Australia and New Zealand.

Backfill (the process of backfilling material into underground voids created by mining) is essential in many underground projects. Due to the demands caused by deeper mining operations, mine backfill is becoming an integral part of the mining industry. Optimising the backfill process leads to improvements in production, as well as ore and water recovery. 

The type of backfill used depends on the specific mineralogy and geotechnical requirements of a particular project, utilising the same dirt, clay and mineral composites that were removed to fill in what was removed. We connect our understanding of the mining process with our team’s mineralogy and chemistry expertise to help mining companies resolve issues and run sustainable backfill operations at lower costs and reduced risk.

Beyond the environmental and structural benefits of backfilling, the process is also, in most cases, a more practical solution for handling dirt, minerals and debris that has been removed during excavation. In cases where backfilling is not used, the materials that would be used to make up the backfill still need to be shifted off-site. This means that a considerable amount of time and resources go into shifting materials that could be used elsewhere.

To learn more about how we optimise our customer’s mine backfilling processes with innovative products, explore our backfill technologies​ page.