How to Identify Potentials and Barriers of Raw Materials Recovery from Tailings? Part II: A Practical UNFC-Compliant Approach to Assess Project Sustainability with On-Site Exploration Data

Abstract

A sustainable raw materials (RMs) recovery from waste requires a comprehensive generation and communication of knowledge on project potentials and barriers. However, a standardised procedure to capture sustainability aspects in early project development phases is currently missing. Thus, studies on different RM sources are not directly comparable. In this article, an approach is presented which guides its user through a practical interpretation of on-site exploration data on tailings compliant with the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC). The development status of the overall project and the recovery of individual RMs are differentiated. To make the assessment results quickly comparable across different studies, they are summarised in a heat-map-like categorisation matrix. In Part I of this study, it is demonstrated with the case study tailings storage facility Bollrich (Germany) how a tailings mining project can be assessed by means of remote screening. In Part II, it is shown how to develop a project from first on-site exploration to a decision whether to intensify costly on-site exploration. It is concluded that with a UNFC-compliant assessment and classification approach, local sustainability aspects can be identified, and a commonly acceptable solution for different stakeholder perspectives can be derived.

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

“…Suppes and Heuss-Aßbichler [103] devised an approach to systematically screen tailings storage facilities for remining based on the contents, physical structure, surroundings, potential environmental and social impacts, and potentially affected stakeholders. Their approach is compliant with the UNFC [113,114]. A previous article by the same authors [103] describes how to develop a remining project from the first on-site exploration to deciding whether to intensify exploration and development.…”

Development of a spatial orientation model for the actuator of a mechatronic system

“…Дослідження техногенних мінералів в гірничопромислових відходах набуває особливої актуальності в силу особливостей їх утворення [9].…”

“…Великотоннажними виробниками гірничопромислових відходів є паливоенергетична галузь, металургійні та хімічні виробництва [9].…”

“…Серед лідируючих за обсягами та площами займають відвали вугільних, металургічних відходів, відвали ТЕС та хвостосховища [9,10]. Тому останнім часом ці об'єкти становлять практичний інтерес для досліджень на Україні [11][12][13] і в усьому світі [14][15][16][17].…”