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Seeding a large area of the De Beers Group Victor Mine has taken to the air thanks to the introduction of the latest technological innovations being employed during the closure project.
The DJI Agras T-10 drone, specially designed for agricultural-type work, was brought to the site by Sigfusson Northern (SNL), a sub-contractor of WSP Golder, who’s responsible for closing the site. Since early June, the drone has spread a selected mixture of grass seed as part of the rehabilitation of the two fine processed kimberlite containment facilities (FPKC).
Much larger than a consumer level drone, the T-10 measures nearly two metres across when its arms and rotors are extended and weighs about 25 kg. A typical consumer drone weights less than a kilogram and is only about 35 cm long and 28 cm wide, with arms and rotors fully extended.
During operations, a mixture of water and crushed kimberlite was deposited into the FPKC. They were designed to allow water to filter out, leaving just the kimberlite material behind. No chemicals are used during the diamond recovery process. Over the past several months, the closure team has capped the facility with reclamation cover – a mixture of muskeg and mineral soil overburden, and constructed passive drainage channels lined with crushed rock.
The final step is to cover it with grass. Seeding the area using a drone was selected because it was fast, more versatile and resulted in less disturbance particularly in sensitive or difficult to access areas by four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles or other types of equipment. The grass mixture includes Foul Blue Grass, Tickle Grass, Tufted Hair Grass, Slender Wheat Grass and Fringed Brome Grass, all common to the James Bay area.
Jake Reid, Project Manager with SNL, said: “This technology is not only saving time and money, but also far less impactful on the immediate environment, providing access to areas where large machines may not be able to travel due to the dampness.”
The drone flies two metres above the ground for the seeding process. It can carry up to six kilograms of seed at a time and cover up to six hectares (ha) an hour. The Victor closure plan calls for 3,000 seeds to cover each square metre of the FPKC, meaning that 30 million individual seeds were needed to cover each hectare of land. So far, the drone has seeded 127 ha. The FPKC area to be revegetated totals about 204 ha although it has not yet been determined whether the drone will be used to seed the entire area. This technology is being used successfully in the farming industry in Manitoba.
CLICK HERE to watch a short video about the drone seeding project.