Oz Minerals is part of global efforts to transform tailings management into a fast-growing stream of value for smart mining and metals companies.
Waste or tailings storage is a significant cost for miners as well as an ongoing environmental and social liability leading to growing pressure to deal with them more sustainably.
According to a new report in The Intelligent Miner “A growing number of companies are investigating ways in which tailings storage requirements can be minimised, and the material held within legacy operations exploited to pay for current management costs and technologies as well as environmental remediation and restoration.”
The economic rehabilitation of tailings and waste makes sense, not only financially but environmentally too. The estimated value of precious, critical and strategic metals contained within waste sites is thought to exceed US$3.4T, not to mention the value of industrial minerals like silica and micas.
The Intelligent Miner mentions two Australian companies already in the space—New Century Resources, the largest tailings retreatment management company in Australia, and OZ Minerals which launched a global “Waste To Value Challenge” in 2021 to help reimagine mining and processing to minimise, eliminate and find value in waste.
Run in collaboration with the International Copper Association Australia (ICAA) and industry research body AMIRA, OZ Minerals is currently reviewing the 36 expressions of interest it received. Submissions were wide ranging, including selective mining, in-situ recovery, ore sorting, new grinding and flotation technology, recovery of metals from tailings, making products from tailings and waste-water treatment.
Proposed trialling and experimenting of ideas will range from 3-12 months and innovators maintain ownership of their IP. Innovators benefit as they get funding and support, including access to a mentor and subject matter experts and, of course, they get to progress their ideas.
Intelligent Miner: https://theintelligentminer.com/2022/03/30/mine-tailings-waste-not-want-not/
OZ MInerals: https://www.ozminerals.com/en/how-we-work/think-and-act-differently/waste-to-value
New Century Resources: https://newcenturyresources.com