Valorisation of mine waste - Part I: Characteristics of, and sampling methodology for, consolidated mineralised tailings by using Witwatersrand gold mines (South Africa) as an example

Nwaila, Glen T.; Ghorbani, Yousef; Zhang, Steven E.; Frimmel, Hartwig E.; Tolmay, Leon C.K.; Rose, Derek H.; Nwaila, Phumzile C.; Bourdeau, Julie E.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113013

Cited by 30 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The amount of lithium from spent batteries in 2040 is estimated at 60 ktonnes per year, which corresponds to 5% of the total supply requirements 7 . From a circular economy perspective, research on resource recovery from mine tailings is becoming an active field [148][149][150][151][152][153] . In addition, processing of mineral resources should be designed for the simultaneous recovery of two or more products.…”

Section: Review Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental impact of direct lithium extraction from brines

Vera

Torres

Galli

et al. 2023

Nat Rev Earth Environ

132

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Evaporitic technology for lithium mining from brines has been questioned for its intensive water use, protracted duration and exclusive application to continental brines. In this Review, we analyse the environmental impacts of evaporitic and alternative technologies, collectively known as direct lithium extraction (DLE), for lithium mining, focusing on requirements for fresh water, chemicals, energy consumption and waste generation, including spent brines. DLE technologies aim to tackle the environmental and techno-economic shortcomings of current practice by avoiding brine evaporation. A selection of DLE technologies has achieved Li + recovery above 95%, Li + /Mg 2+ separation above 100, and zero chemical approaches. Conversely, only 30% of DLE test experiments were performed on real brines, and thus the effect of multivalent ions or large Na + /Li + concentration differences on performance indicators is often not evaluated. Some DLE technologies involve brine pH changes or brine heating up to 80 o C for improved Li + recovery, which require energy, fresh water and chemicals that must be considered during environmental impact assessments. Future research should focus on performing tests on real brines and achieving competitiveness in several performance indicators simultaneously. The environmental impact of DLE should be assessed from brine pumping to the production of the pure solid lithium product. Sections Lithium mining from continental brinesAs of 2022, worldwide, there are eight full-scale active facilities that produce lithium compounds from continental brines 9 and more are likely to become active before 2030 (Fig. 1a). The evaporitic technology (Fig. 1b) is currently in use at seven of those facilities 18,19 . Brines are Key points• Fresh water consumption of direct lithium extraction (DLE) needs to be urgently quantified. Many DLE technologies might require larger freshwater volumes than current evaporative practices, compromising their applicability in arid locations.• Environmental monitoring guidelines have been drafted with evaporitic technology in mind, but they should also be applied to the implementation of any DLE technology, which still consumes brine, uses fresh water and produces residues, the latter two hopefully at considerably lower volumes.Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author selfarchiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

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Section: Review Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental impact of direct lithium extraction from brines

Vera

Torres

Galli

et al. 2023

Nat Rev Earth Environ

132

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“…Tailings are residual mixtures of crushed rock and processing fluids left over from mining operations, encompassing various industries such as aluminum, coal, oil sands, uranium, and precious/base metals extraction [59][60][61][62]. Typically, tailings are managed in the form of a pulp or slurry with an initial solids content ranging from 25% to 45%.…”

Section: Mine Tailings Production: Overview and Industry Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Circular Economy in the Mining Industry: Possible Solutions for Water Recovery through Advanced Mineral Tailings Dewatering

Hamraoui,

Bergani,

Ettoumi

et al. 2024

Minerals

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The mining industry is confronted with substantial challenges in achieving environmental sustainability, particularly regarding water usage, waste management, and dam safety. The increasing global demand for minerals has led to increased mining activities, resulting in significant environmental consequences. By 2025, an estimated 19 billion tons of solid tailings are projected to accumulate worldwide, exacerbating concerns over their management. Tailings storage facilities represent the largest water sinks within mining operations. The mismanagement of water content in tailings can compromise their stability, leading to potential dam failures and environmental catastrophes. In response to these pressing challenges, the mining industry is increasingly turning to innovative solutions such as tailings dewatering and water reuse/recycling strategies to promote sustainable development. This review paper aims to (I) redefine the role of mine tailings and explore their physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics; (II) discuss environmental concerns associated with conventional disposal methods; (III) explore recent advancements in dewatering techniques, assessing their potential for water recovery, technical and economic constraints, and sustainability considerations; (IV) and present challenges encountered in water treatment and recycling within the mining industry, highlighting areas for future research and potential obstacles in maximizing the value of mine tailings while minimizing their environmental impact.

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“…An example of this is the fact that for over a quarter of a century, the gold mines in the Witwatersrand in South Africa produced over 6000 million tons of uranium tailings (Wymer 1999). Although the tailings have great potential (Gerstmann et al 2020;nwaila et al 2021), environmental precautions need to be taken. According to data from (Waggitt 1994), this is ~20 times more than the combined total of the two largest uranium producers, the USA and Canada.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wyzwania i możliwości odzysku w gospodarce odpadami podczas procesów wydobycia i wzbogacania rud zawierających uran i tor – przegląd

Yıldız,

Tombal-Kara

2024

Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi - Mineral Resources Management

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Podczas wydobycia surowców promieniotwórczych, pierwiastków ziem rzadkich i innych pierwiastków z rud zawierających uran i tor powstają różnego rodzaju odpady radioaktywne oraz niektóre odpady poprodukcyjne. Pozostałości po wydobyciu i przeróbce rud, czyli odpady i odpady poflotacyjne, stwarzają szereg problemów związanych z gospodarką odpadami. Ich nieporęczna struktura uniemożliwia składowanie pod ziemią, a długi okres półrozpadu radioaktywności powoduje różne problemy związane z ich długotrwałym składowaniem. W rzeczywistości wtórna obecność surowców promieniotwórczych wraz z innymi minerałami wymaga przestrzegania procedur dotyczących odpadów niebezpiecznych przy składowaniu odpadów zawierających surowce radioaktywne po odzyskaniu tych głównych minerałów. Być może w przyszłości możliwe będzie odzyskiwanie tych surowców radioaktywnych ze składowanych odpadów kopalnianych. Perspektywa braku równowagi w globalnej podaży i popycie na uran zwiększa znaczenie źródeł wtórnych przyczyniających się do globalnej podaży uranu. Rosnące znaczenie wtórnych źródeł surowców radioaktywnych sugeruje, że należy zwrócić większą uwagę na odzysk tych zasobów wraz z pierwotnymi minerałami niż w przeszłości. W literaturze światowej nie ma artykułu przeglądowego opisującego i omawiającego gospodarkę odpadami surowców promieniotwórczych w górnictwie i przetwórstwie minerałów wraz z możliwościami i przeszkodami w ich odzyskiwaniu. Biorąc pod uwagę ten brak w literaturze, w niniejszym opracowaniu wyjaśniono właściwości odpadów i odpadów poflotacyjnych powstałych w wyniku wydobycia i przeróbki rud surowców radioaktywnych, wspomniano o napotkanych trudnościach oraz przedstawiono propozycje rozwiązań, wykorzystując literaturę dotyczącą odzysku odpadów poflotacyjnych i gospodarki odpadami.

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Valorisation of mine waste - Part I: Characteristics of, and sampling methodology for, consolidated mineralised tailings by using Witwatersrand gold mines (South Africa) as an example

Cited by 30 publications

References 25 publications

Environmental impact of direct lithium extraction from brines

Environmental impact of direct lithium extraction from brines

Towards a Circular Economy in the Mining Industry: Possible Solutions for Water Recovery through Advanced Mineral Tailings Dewatering

Wyzwania i możliwości odzysku w gospodarce odpadami podczas procesów wydobycia i wzbogacania rud zawierających uran i tor – przegląd

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