Considering the development levels of countries, contributions of mineral recovery from mining tailings and urban mining wastes to sustainability criteria – A review

Abstract

The need for a sustainable mining waste management/legislation and mineral recovery from tailings is increasing day by day in the world. There is a need to draw a perspective for mining companies and public authorities & Sustainable Development Organizations (SDOs) on the sustainable recovery of mine waste from both mining operations and urban mining. Although there are many publications in the literature on mineral recovery from mine wastes, there is a lack of a study that will respond to the information needs of public authorities & SDOs in terms of both mining enterprises and urban mining sector on sustainable mineral recovery by covering the latest developments in the world and making the distinction between waste and tailing. Considering this deficiency in the literature, this study firstly emphasizes the on-site mitigation of mine wastes and their environmental impacts, and briefly discusses mine wastes & tailings dams in the mining process. Then, the mitigation of negative environmental impacts in landfills and the feasibility of mineral recovery from mining tailings and urban mining wastes are evaluated. Finally, the objective of mineral recovery in the context of sustainable development and legislative efforts are discussed. The results of the study are as follows: The wastes generated as a result of mining operations have increased worldwide. These mine wastes are used to recycle mines. The necessity and nature of the recovery of minerals from wastes necessitates the efficient management of these wastes. At this point, there is a need for effective and up-to-date mining waste legislation, incentives and practices to ensure an sustainable mining waste management and optimum mineral recovery from mining tailings. The categories of "mineral recovery from mining tailings" and "mineral recycling from urban mining waste" were compared by assigning an estimated score out of ten, considering the level of development of the countries and the characteristics of the categories. In this comparison, the contribution/relationships of the activities in these categories to different sustainability criteria are shown and in-text citations are considered in the scoring. By considering these contribution levels or lack thereof, countries with different levels of development in different geographies around the world can develop their mineral waste management and mineral recovery policies in much more detail, considering their mineral requirements and waste inventories. This study may contribute to less mineral waste generation and cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable mineral recovery in mining operations, thanks to the awareness it will create for mining companies and public authorities & SDOs. This study serves as a guide for SDOs and countries’ policymakers & mining sector on mineral recovery from waste in countries.