MINEFILL 2026 Concluded with Great Success

On May 20th, the four-day MINEFILL 2026 was successfully concluded at the Beijing International Convention Center. As the longest, most influential and most authoritative academic event in the global mining backfill field, the symposium returned to China after 22 years. The event brought together nearly 300 experts, scholars, industry executives, and engineering professionals from 16 major mining countries worldwide. Through academic exchanges and technical presentations, participants explored new pathways for the green, low-carbon, intelligent, and efficient transformation of the mining industry, fostering broad consensus and generating substantial outcomes for global backfill technology innovation and collaborative industrial development.

Short Course

As a key supporting event, the Short Course commenced on May 17th. Centered on the theme "Introduction to Backfill Design and Operations," the course created an immersive, practical, and international learning environment. The course invited Maureen McGuinness (Paterson & Cooke, Canada), Chris Lee (WSP Group), Enya Nilis (European backfill industry expert), and Liu Guangsheng (Senior Engineer, BGRIMM).

The curriculum established a comprehensive knowledge system covering the entire chain: fundamental theory, system design, equipment selection, pipeline transport, and operations management. It systematically elaborated on key topics including backfill geomechanics, backfill plants, underground reticulation & placement, backfill operation and management. Trainees engaged in discussions and exchanges regarding industrial technical bottlenecks, practical operational difficulties, and key engineering application challenges — facilitating knowledge exchange and addressing specific technical queries — thereby enhancing both theoretical understanding and engineering practice.

Keynote Speech & MINEFILL Session

The symposium brought together leading academic and industrial experts from around the world. It featured 10 specialized sub-forums covering a wide range of hot topics across the entire backfill chain, including technologies and equipment for backfill mining, properties and testing of backfill materials, cemented backfill binders and admixtures, backfill slurry mixing and pipeline transport, backfill mechanics, stope isolation and drainage, intelligent operation and maintenance management, and typical engineering case studies.

The presentations bridged fundamental theoretical innovation, breakthroughs in key technologies, and practical engineering implementation. They outlined future development trends in global backfill mining technology while showcasing China's original achievements and innovative practices in green backfill and intelligent mining. This provided valuable insights and reference solutions for the collaborative technological advancement of the global mining industry. The session was equipped with AI interpretation, bilingual (Chinese-English) conference materials and services, ensuring all international delegates and demonstrating the professionalism and open approach of China as the host of this international mining event.

Technical Exhibition Platform

Concurrent with the symposium, a dedicated technical exhibition area was established, gathering leading industry enterprises. The exhibition showcased innovative products and solutions, including new backfill piping materials, intelligent backfill control equipment, new low-carbon cementitious materials, automated backfill piping network systems, and complete technologies for tailings resource utilization.

Exhibiting companies presented their cutting-edge technological innovations and engineering application achievements through physical displays, technical presentations, case study analyses, and one-on-one business meetings. The exhibition served not only as a showcase for new technologies, equipment, and materials but also as a bridge connecting academic research, technology development, industrial application, and project cooperation. It facilitated intentions for technical cooperation, achievement commercialization, and project implementation, accelerating the transition of advanced backfill mining technologies from research to engineering application, and supporting the industrial deployment and large-scale promotion of new technologies, equipment, and materials.

Poceedings of the MINEFILL 2026

Leveraging the professional academic platform of MetaResource, the symposium managed the full process of paper submission, review, editing and proofreading, and bilingual compilation and publication, releasing the official proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Mining with Backfill.

MetaResource is a new high-impact journal supported by the Excellence Action Plan for China's S&M Journals. It focuses on the interdisciplinary frontier of emerging technologies and strategic mineral resources, publishing theoretical advances, cutting-edge research findings, and technical application cases in the digitalization and intelligent transformation of mining, mineral processing, metallurgy, and new materials. At MINEFILL 2026, MetaResource deeply facilitated the consolidation of academic outcomes, systematically compiling innovative theories, key technological breakthroughs, and exemplary engineering practices in mine backfill. This created an authoritative academic reference for global mining researchers and industry experts, establishing a professional platform for academic exchange, achievement dissemination, and scholarly communication, and continuously contributing to a high-quality academic ecosystem in the mine backfill field.

Successful Event and a New Vision for the Future

Guo Lijie, Symposium Chair and Director of the Mine Engineering Research Institute, BGRIMM Technology Group, stated "This International Symposium on Mining with Backfill is significant academic and technical event for the global mine backfill community, and more importantly, a vital bridge for deepening exchanges, mutual learning, and win-win cooperation between China and the international mining sector. The symposium has clearly demonstrated China's robust capabilities and international commitment in areas such as green mine construction, backfill technology R&D, solid waste resource utilization, and intelligent mining equipment innovation, further enhancing China's academic voice and industry influence in the global mining backfill field."

The symposium also established, for the first time, industry distinguished awards. These awards recognize leading figures and outstanding representatives who have made exceptional contributions to advancing international mine backfill mining technology, promoting industrial collaborative innovation, and fostering global academic cooperation. This initiative aims to further stimulate the creativity and vitality of industry talent and build broad consensus on the high-quality development of the global backfill mining field.

BGRIMM regards this symposium as a new departure point to further advance fundamental research in backfill mining theory and achieve breakthroughs in key core technologies. The Group will accelerate the deep convergence of emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence—with mine backfill applications, while continuously enhancing international academic exchanges and industrial technology collaboration. Led by green backfill technologies, BGRIMM is committed to steering the safe development of mineral resources and the realization of carbon peak and carbon neutrality objectives, thereby contributing to a new paradigm of safe, green, intelligent, and sustainable global mining development.

Source: BRIGM News WeChat Official Account
Article Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/1NcUEf1KS0shW4-Ik10iCw