What is the suite of products Titan Environmental Containment has tailored for the mining industry?

Titan is a solutions provider and installer of geosynthetic products, which are mainly resin based materials used in civil infrastructure construction projects. These include geogrids used in base reinforcement for heavy-haul road building and under overburden stock dump areas, as well as specialty erosion protection lining products like Concrete Canvas^® for mine channels, and different types of geomembranes used to line tailings dams, tailings ponds and processing ponds.

All these products are considered smart alternatives in the sense that they can minimize or completely replace natural resources such as gravel, sand, or bentonite clay and at a much lower cost. So, there’s both environmental and cost savings benefits.

For example, haul roads have up to a meter of blast rock. With our Swamp Grid™ product, a client reduced the blast rock quantity needed for their haul road construction project by about 40% resulting in nearly US$1 million in saving to their project—that’s significant.

To what extent is ESG a driver for product development decisions at Titan Environmental Containment?

Broadly speaking, I would not say ESG is a big driver for Titan because we are diversified into several other markets. Within mining however, it is important, because using geosynthetics can limit carbon emissions and environmental footprint. Our products enable customers to reduce carbon footprint and minimize the amount of truck traffic required to bring in aggregates, concrete and clays.

What are some of the tailings-related products that Titan offers, and what do the clients want to see in terms of product offering?

There are two products that Titan offers for use in tailings dams. When it comes to geomembranes, the most common one in recent years is our bituminous geomembrane (BGM), a reinforced bitumen-based membrane. Other common geomembranes are polyethylene based such as HDPE or LLDPE, which are different types of plastic liner materials with different thicknesses, in combination with other types of geosynthetics, like thick nonwoven geotextiles for protection.

We must work toward both human safety and environmental safety, and because our products typically prevent issues such as seepage and contamination of the soil and groundwater, mistakes can be very dangerous. Safety and minimal environmental impact are what our clients want to see.

What are the main pain points that clients are experiencing, and how does Titan Environmental Containment moderate those issues?

One of the biggest pain points, I think, is the longevity and service life of their site infrastructure as it has big impact operations and production rates. Offering a premier product and a premier installation with good quality control alleviates some of that stress for the owner. Cost mitigation is another issue, where using our geosynthetic products versus natural resources can reduce costs. A final pain point would be project management, and we help customers with this issue by recommending and offering the proper turnkey solutions.

How important is Ontario’s mining industry for Titan Environmental Containment?

Ontario is a big market for us. Previously we used to mobilize our crews out of Manitoba or Alberta to go to Ontario, but in the last 18 months, we set up brick and mortar in Burlington, Ontario, so we have crews nearby. Right now, we are working with a number of mines on projects in Ontario.

Do you have any final message for our readers?

Titan Environmental Containment focuses on building trust with its clients, delivering quality products and services, and leveraging our creativity to secure value. We are not just a supplier; we are a solutions provider. We work with our clients, both general contractors and owners, on everything from engineering predesign on projects to turnkey installation services that include quality control and testing as well.

Titan has a lot of technical knowledge within our team, and we are constantly looking at developing our products for different markets, especially the mining sector. Mining is a sector we are very excited to be part of and hope to grow with it.