tailings

/ ˈteɪlɪŋz /

plural noun

1. waste left over after certain processes, such as from an ore-crushing plant or in milling grain

Example Sentences

"The tailings release and breach was promptly brought under control within hours of detection," the firm said in a statement on 3 September.

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The spill happened when a tailings dam, used to store toxic waste and heavy metals, collapsed into the Kafue River, a key drinking water source, following heavy rain.

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At much higher concentrations, which may be relevant for testing environmental contamination such as mine tailings, the accuracy is within 4 percent.

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Rare earth metals are extracted by digging enormous pits and dissolving rocks in caustic acids, sometimes leaving behind toxic and radioactive tailings.

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The complex accumulated some 40 million tons of tailings—leftovers of milling uranium—and other foul residues before it closed in 1992.

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Related Words

• sand 
• shale