Multi-objective mixture design of cemented paste backfill using particle swarm optimisation algorithm

•Cemented paste backfill (CPB) is used as a tailings mangament strategy and to keep overall stability in underground mining projects.•1% reduction of the cement used in CPB reduces operating mining cost around 1.6–2%.•Strength, workability and cost paradox in the design of CPB mixture.•CPB can be designed to meet multiple requirements in projects using a mathematical optimisation procedure.•The multi-objective mixture design of CPB results in reducing the number of trial tests and the overall cost of the project. In order to achieve a successful cemented paste backfill (CPB) mixture design, multiple project requirements such as strength, flowability and cost should be met. For this achievement, the key design parameters, solid content (SD) and cement percentage (C), should be well adjusted. With increasing the amount of cement in the mixture, CPB strength and production cost increase together, whereas the workability decreases. In order to reduce the cost, more tailings can be added while keeping the cement amount the same but this will reduce both strength and workability. Therefore, CPB design is in fact a multi-objective optimisation problem. In this study, the particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm is used to design CPB mixture meeting multiple objectives. PSO identifies the optimum set of SD and C yielding in desired strength and workability with a minimum cost. The proposed workflow can be a useful and practical for multiple decision making where CPB designers face strength-workability-cost paradox. In addition to reducing the number of trial experiments, the multi objective mixture design of CPB also provides the optimum use of materials to reduce the incurred costs and ensure cleaner and more sustainable production.