Action Versus Reaction: How Geometallurgy Can Improve Mine Waste Management Across the Life-Of-Mine

Abstract

The raw materials industry produces billions of tonnes of mine waste per year. Given increasing metal demand and the global appetite for waste reduction, strategic opportunities to minimise its production must be embedded across the life-of-mine. Adopting a geometallurgical approach to total deposit characterisation—where mineralogical and geochemical data are routinely collected and used to model geoenvironmental domains—offers profound benefits for improving the understanding of the composition and environmental impact of different residues. Using established and emerging technologies, from handheld instruments and core scanners to synchrotrons, throughout a mine’s life—starting already during exploration—may assist the raw materials industry to reduce their waste footprint and adopt circular economy principles.