Cemented Paste Backfill: A Comparative Analysis of Global Perspectives and Chinese Innovations

Cemented paste backfill (CPB) is a cornerstone technology for achieving green mining. This paper presents a comparative framework. It contrasts the global perspective with Chinese innovations in CPB development. First, it reviews the evolution of international CPB technology. This includes core equipment such as the deep cone thickener (DCT), high-efficiency mixing, and piston pumps. It also covers foundational theories, such as rheology. This analysis highlights the international model's focus on modularization and standardization. Furthermore, it provides an in-depth analysis of China's unique CPB development path. This path was developed to address “deep, large-scale, and complex” geological conditions. It also meets the strategic demands of the “dual carbon” goals. China's core contribution lies in systems integration�linking mining, processing, backfilling, and solid waste management. This approach emphasizes the synergistic use of multiple sources of solid waste and has spurred technological innovations to address major engineering challenges, such as thickening ultra-fine tailings and transporting them across large height differences in ultra-deep shafts. This study highlights China's progress in CPB technology. It has advanced from “introduction and absorption” to “exporting standards”. Finally, the paper outlines the future frontiers for CPB: (1) all-solid-waste-based low-carbon cementitious materials (e.g., geopolymers and carbonation curing); (2) deep backfill design based on thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) multi-field coupling; and (3) intelligent autonomous systems driven by digital twins.