Underground mine backfilling is an essential practice in modern mining, playing a pivotal role in the efficiency of extraction operations. This technique involves filling voids created by mining activities with various types of backfill, such as mixtures of tailings or waste rock (crushed or uncrushed) combined with cement and water. Backfilling not only enhances ground stability—thereby ensuring worker safety—but also optimizes ore recovery by enabling the exploitation of complex and increasingly deep ore deposits. Beyond its technical advantages, underground mine backfilling contributes to reducing the environmental footprint of mining sites by significantly minimizing the volume of solid waste stored on the surface. The continuous evolution of backfill technologies and methods highlight the growing importance of this practice in the modern mining industry. 

This intensive course aims to equip mining professionals with the skills necessary to optimize underground backfill operations, a critical aspect of contemporary mining practices. Designed to combine theory with practical insights, the course is tailored for engineers, technicians, and managers involved in the planning and execution of underground backfill operations. 

The training will begin with an introduction to the fundamentals of underground mine backfilling, covering different types of backfill (hydraulic, paste, and rock), their mechanical properties, and behavior. Geotechnical and hydrogeological considerations will also be addressed, along with key technologies and equipment used in backfill operations. Participants will learn about rheology, backfill transport and placement systems, and quality control techniques. Real-world case studies will illustrate best practices and recent innovations in the field. The course will also cover robust numerical modeling of backfilled mining stopes. It will conclude with a synthesis of the operational challenges faced in industrial backfill contexts. 

By blending theory and practice, this course provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of the best practices for optimizing mine backfill techniques, enabling them to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of mining operations. 

Presenter Descriptions 

• Tikou Belem, Ph.D. 
  Tikou Belem is a Full Professor of Geomechanics, Mining Geotechnics, and Geoenvironmental Engineering at the Research Institute on Mines and Environment (RIME) of the Université du Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT). With over 25 years of applied research experience in the mining industry, his expertise spans responsible mine waste management, rock mechanics, and ground control. He has also been teaching engineering and fundamental sciences for nearly 27 years at UQAT. His fields of expertise include backfill recipe formulation, backfill rheology and transport, mine backfill system design, hydromechanics of mine backfill and barricades, backfilled stope design and modeling, backfill-wall interactions, instrumentation and in situ measurements, ground control, and rock mechanics. 

• Louis-Philippe Gélinas, Eng., M.Sc.A. 
  Louis-Philippe Gélinas has over a decade of experience in mining geotechnics, including rock mechanics, surface mining infrastructure, and, most notably, mine backfill operations. He has gained operational experience at the Casa Berardi Mine in both open-pit and underground environments and has worked within the technical services department of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited. Currently, as a Geotechnical Subject Matter Expert (SME), he supports mining projects at various stages of development, assists operating mines, and collaborates on corporate initiatives in underground backfill. 

• Mamert Mbonimpa, Eng., Ph.D. 
  Mamert Mbonimpa is a Full Professor at the Research Institute on Mines and Environment (RIME) at UQAT. With two decades of experience in mining geotechnics, mine tailings management, and site restoration, his expertise in underground backfill focuses on rheology and backfill transport under various thermal regimes. 

• Li Li, Eng., Ph.D. 
  Li Li is a Full Professor of Mining Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal and the Scientific Director of the Research Institute on Mines and Environment at Polytechnique. With 20 years of experience in rock mechanics and mining geotechnics, his research interests include analyzing the stability of exposed backfill and barricades, as well as the co-disposal of waste rock and tailings in underground stopes and surface applications.