Let’s be clear(-er) about mining wastes: Junks vs. valuables

Abstract

Tailings as the residues of mining operation have been continuously being produced at huge amount in the EU mining industries. These residues, when poorly managed, would become a detrimental environmental hazard in addition to its acid mine drainage effects. Nevertheless, given the contents of these tailings such as valuable metals and its minerals for construction applications, it is critical to transform this waste problem into a resource-recovery opportunity through sustainable processes in the future. Directly utilizing these tailings as inputs to produce different outputs, however, is not sufficient to justify that a process is environmentally friendly; the processes developed must be evidently better from a life cycle perspective than business as usual. This project aims to provide a life cycle based environmental assessment of the sulfidic tailings reprocessing and remediation in selected EU mine sites. Within the European Training Network ‘SULTAN’ H2020, this work should assist to find novel technologies for resource recovery and wastes valorization from mining industries. Performing life cycle assessment (LCA) at early process design would allow hotspots identification for environmental performance improvements before industrial scale is installed. Furthermore, an environmental assessment of the conventional tailings disposal method is also conducted to have the basis of comparison with the new processes. By analyzing the environmental assessments of tailings through multiple processing routes, the results will further provide holistic views of mine wastes resource-recovery solutions. Thus, this dissertation will contribute to a more comprehensive mine tailings life cycle inventory model, both at different processes scales and conventional tailings facility for enhancing its overall ecological performance.