How the Proper Management of Extractive Waste Can Support the Circular Economy

Maraboutis, Petros; Poulimenou, Niki-Iliana; Nikolaou, Elena

doi:10.3390/materproc2021005118

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…While its focus is on virgin extraction and associated waste management, several approaches and conclusions are relevant for remining, including corporate management, data management, and minimizing water, air, and soil pollution. Blengini et al [51] and Maraboutis et al [109] discuss the application of MWEI BREF to the recovery of critical and other raw materials and to the circular economy. While the MWEI BREF includes measures to prevent the adverse effects of mining operations, its BAT for waste characterization is not sufficient to determine the economic potential or recoverability of metals from remined wastes.…”

Section: Improved Circularitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Remining for Renewable Energy Metals: A Review of Characterization Needs, Resource Estimates, and Potential Environmental Effects

Maest

2023

Minerals

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Remining has been researched for decades, but its potential to supplement virgin extraction is currently unknown. This review addresses the remining of tailings/waste rock, coal residues, and byproduct and primary production materials for renewable energy metals (e.g., Co, Ni, REEs, Mn, Li). Geochemical characterization methods for estimating pollution potential must be supplemented with mineral liberation analysis and process testing to reliably estimate remining’s economic potential. National and regional remining characterization efforts currently exist in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and China but will take years to produce viable operations at scale. Tailings hold the most promise due to their large amounts worldwide and the fact that they are already extracted and pre-processed, which reduces energy and water use. Of the processing approaches examined, bioleaching appears to offer the most benefits with the fewest potential downsides. The advantages and challenges of the processing methods and remining sources are presented. Best remining practices are urgently needed to improve resource estimates and avoid impacts such as the tailings dam failures that occurred at remining operations in Romania and South Africa. Interest in remining is booming because it can increase domestic supply. If properly conducted, remining can also improve circularity and environmental conditions in areas affected by existing and legacy mining activity.

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Section: Improved Circularitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Remining for Renewable Energy Metals: A Review of Characterization Needs, Resource Estimates, and Potential Environmental Effects

Maest

2023

Minerals

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“…This approach offers a sustainable means to utilize food waste and reduce its environmental impact ( 28 ). It, therefore, hardly comes as a surprise that a future circular economy probably has to be based to a large extent on renewable materials and energies, among which organic natural materials are likely to play a dominant role ( 29–31 ). Apart from especially cultivating plants for energy and materials, which requires land, energy, effort and labor, organic waste - a cornucopia of resources if treated properly and with respect - only needs to be collected ( 32 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The future in the litter bin – bioconversion of food waste as driver of a circular bioeconomy

Razouk,

Tiganescu,

von Glahn

et al. 2024

Front. Nutr.

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Bioconversion of organic waste requires the development and application of rather simple, yet robust technologies capable of transferring biomass into energy and sustainable materials for the future. Food waste plays a significant role in this process as its valorisation reduces waste and at the same time avoids additional exploitation of primary resources. Nonetheless, to literally become “litterate”. extensive research into such robust large-scale methods is required. Here, we highlight some promising avenues and materials which fulfill these “waste to value” requirements, from various types of food waste as sustainable sources for biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel to fertilizers and antioxidants from grape pomace, from old-fashioned fermentation to the magic of anaerobic digestion.

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“…In recent years, studies and activities related to the management of extractive waste aim at prevention, the reduction of EW production, recovery (through recycling, reuse, or reclamation), ensuring short-and long-term safe disposal of extractive waste through the whole life cycle analysis of an extractive operation, and the application of best practices promoting the Circular Economy [82].…”

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confidence: 99%

Use and Recovery of Extractive Waste and Tailings for Sustainable Raw Materials Supply

Mancini,

Casale,

Tazzini

et al. 2024

Mining

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Extractive waste (EW), including tailings, is produced in large quantities during mining activities. In recent years, the linear economic model (“take-use-and-throw” approach) has been replaced by a circular approach, emphasizing the sustainable use and recovery of EW. The development of innovative protocols, such as Best Available Techniques (BATs), which aim at the technological and process improvement of more sustainable mining activities and at the production of renewable, highly performing green materials, has led to technological advancements, expertise in sustainability, and a reduced ecological footprint, potentially causing positive economic and social impacts and reducing environmental ones. Extractive waste and tailings, if suitably characterized, can be used to improve and make sustainable the works connected to the management of mining activities. The qualitative–quantitative characterization of EW is essential for subsequent reuse and for assessing the risk to human health and the extent of environmental impacts in the various matrices. The application areas vary according to the type of waste and mining tailings, the morphological characteristics of the deposits, and the geological, geomorphological, and logistic context of the area. Integrated protocols for sustainable EW exploitation and positive impacts on the economic, environmental, and technological/social level are analyzed. The present paper aims at providing an overview of challenges and potentialities connected to extractive waste (EW) management and potential exploitation to recover raw materials (RM), critical raw materials (CRM), and secondary raw materials (SRM).

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How the Proper Management of Extractive Waste Can Support the Circular Economy

Abstract: This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

Cited by 4 publications

References 1 publication

Remining for Renewable Energy Metals: A Review of Characterization Needs, Resource Estimates, and Potential Environmental Effects

Remining for Renewable Energy Metals: A Review of Characterization Needs, Resource Estimates, and Potential Environmental Effects

The future in the litter bin – bioconversion of food waste as driver of a circular bioeconomy

Use and Recovery of Extractive Waste and Tailings for Sustainable Raw Materials Supply

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