December 2, 2025, Vancouver, BC, Canada – Knight Piésold presented two case studies at the Tailings and Mine Waste 2025 conference, introducing methodologies on transforming dam instrumentation data into predictive behavioural insights and advancing understanding of cyclone underflow tailings behaviour under high confining pressures.

The company’s multi-faceted participation at the conference included technical presentations, session leadership, gold sponsorship, and exhibition presence, with nine mining professionals from four global offices engaging with industry colleagues throughout the four-day conference.

Hosted by the University of Alberta Geotechnical Centre, the conference, held in Banff, Alberta from November 2 to 5, brought together over 870 mining professionals from around the world, including 120 speakers and 54 exhibiting companies, to address geotechnical, environmental, and regulatory challenges facing the tailings and mine waste field.

Mrunmay Junagade, a geotechnical engineer at Knight Piésold USA, presented “Case Study: Assessing Construction-Induced Deformations in Tailings Storage Facility Embankments” during Technical Session 2.3B. The paper, co-authored by Jess Walker, Sudhir Tripathi, Jordan Scheremeta, Jeffrey Coffin, and Paul Ridlen of Knight Piésold USA, describes a methodology that uses in-situ deformation data from inclinometers installed within two tailings dams to assess embankment performance through back-analysis using numerical modelling.

Shona Vaughan Williams, a project engineer at Knight Piésold Canada, delivered a presentation on “Geotechnical Characterization of Cyclone Underflow Tailings under High Confining Pressures” during Technical Session 3.1B. The paper, co-authored by Thomas Sully and Daniel Friedman of Knight Piésold Canada, presents the results of a comprehensive laboratory testing program aimed at characterizing the geotechnical properties of cyclone underflow tailings to inform stability analyses of cyclone-constructed embankments subjected to high stress conditions.

Daniel Friedman, a specialist engineer at Knight Piésold Canada, chaired Technical Session 3.1C on analysis and design, moderating presentations on various approaches to tailings management.

Additionally, Daniel Ruane and Gwen James of Knight Piésold Canada, Zach Fox and Emily Jagerhorn of Knight Piésold USA, Gustavo Vianna of Knight Piésold Brazil, and Andrew Copeland of Knight Piésold Southern Africa represented the company throughout the conference as it served as a gold sponsor and exhibitor.

Knight Piésold’s strong global presence demonstrated the company’s commitment to knowledge sharing and industry collaboration. The company continues to advance the tailings and mine waste field through technical excellence and sustainable development, driving innovation for safer, more responsible mining operations worldwide.