Eventually, large-scale recycling should be able to satisfy the demand for key commodities such as lithium. On the circular economy system diagram by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, metals fall on the right-hand side of the diagram. "It takes a decade or more from finding material to actually mining the stuff. However, implementing that at a mining operation could take any number of forms. It looks at prospects for meeting future material demands through circularity for three technologies: lithium-ion batteries, wind turbines and fuel cell electric vehicles. Mining and Metals and the Circular Economy 3 December 2015 The purpose of this report is to discuss the definition and scope of the circular economy concept, and to explore the role of the mining and metals sector in such an economy. A project at an earlier stage of development, and one seeking, rather than benefitting from, industry support, is Scandium Internationals ion exchange project. The market in mining is small, and our industry typically represents a small portion of our vendors business. Governments around the world are busy setting targets to transform their economies so they no longer contribute warming gases to the atmosphere, or more correctly have a net zero contribution. Carly Leonida explains why we need to consider the bigger picture surrounding future metals supply to instigate lasting change.
Re-Thinking Mining Waste through an Integrative Approach Led by - MDPI Reaching net zero by 2050 is expected to require annual investments of around US$9.2 trillion [3]. The technology is unlike anything else in the mining sector, with the company envisioning a bio-refinery to recover gold from waste in a two-stage process. Mining is big business, but also one of the worlds biggest polluters.
Mining and the Circular Economy | ReThink Mining A 2019 reportestimated that the worlds 3,500 large-scale mining operations produce over 100 billion tonnes of solid waste per year. VTT notedthat many recovered materials can be repurposed for use in building by being reworked into concrete, highlighting the projects broad scope and attempts to improve efficiency across the breadth of the mining and construction industries.
Frontiers | Toward circular and socially just urban mining in global The process removes the need for harmful substances,such as cyanide,to be used in the extraction process, which have been an industry standardbut pose significant risks to human health and environmental safety. This global collaboration forum is co-organised by Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and Nordic Innovation, with international partners. The most important thing is to commit to making change happen and to bear in mind the ecosystem approach that we discussed earlier. The platform has since been expanded and provides a market to sell used and surplus mining equipment from Teck and other companies. Required fields are marked *. Circularity is not new in the mining and metals industry, which has been integrating circular principles at the site level for many years, in part to reduce any negative impacts of extraction, but also because it makes good business sense. This publication lays out the characteristics of a circular economy, and the current and potential future contributions of the mining and metals industry in such an economy. Private equity deal activity in the mining industry remained flat in Q1 2023, Whos acquiring who? Herrington closed his presentation by explaining that the cradle-to-cradle concept developed by William McDonough and Michael Braungart will be critical in reducing the negative impacts of future of mining operations, and in the industry maintaining its social license to operate. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. This report is the final outcome of the collaboration that took place in 2021 and 2022 between the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Environment Agency (EEA) and its European Topic Centre (ETC) on circular economy. Carl Weatherell. He explained that mining is absolutely fundamental in achieving the main goals of COP26, particularly in securing a global net-zero future by mid-century with a 1.5oC maximum temperature rise, and in adapting to protect communities and habitats.
Mining digs into the circular economy | News at Curtin These are not easy questions. Rare earth elements (REEs) are among the key critical raw materials required for the green and digital transitions. One of the things that [big mining companies] are doing is these assessments of how many siloed initiatives are currently under way, which are broadly efficiency- or sustainability-[focused], but theyre not talking to each other really, Young said. To do this we must tackle the platform technologies and processes of the industry that have the largest environmental footprint, such as those that consume energy and water. Ideally, CE would fully remove the need for policy or regulations. Easing up . There has been growing debate about the extent to which mining of metals from natural sources should be expanded versus a focus on a "circular economy" through which reuse, remanufacturing or recycling could meet demand. Caesarean by phone light - giving birth in a warzone, How the Pakistani military feel about Imran Khan. How do you move to net benefit? Flip, scroll and swipe your way to the best mining stories and news anytime, anywhere.
Mining value from the Circular Economy - Circular Collective Towards more sustainable management of material resources in Europe. A key source of lithium are salts from South America's Atacama desert, A beautiful specimen of lepidolite, an abundant lithium-bearing mineral, The prospect of seafloor mining troubles many people, Skutterudite is a mineral containing cobalt, as well as nickel and iron, A rare insight into Hitler's private life. This paper provides an overview of EU import dependency on raw materials and Russias share among EU sources of key supplies for low-carbon technologies. It aims to explore some of the opportunities and challenges linked to the EU's new strategy for securing the supply of CRMs, both inside and outside the EU.
The researchers overcamethisby developing the MetGrow Calculator, an online tool that works out the optimal waste recovery process for a mine or region based on characteristic input by the user. According to the International Council on Mining & Metals, metals are infinitely recyclable, increasing the longevity of end-use products. The project focused more on supply chain optimisation than technological innovation, and VTT reports that miners could see waste mineral recovery increased by up to 20% by following the initiatives recommendations. Through the connection of innovators and facilitation of collaboration, CMIC is driving change, helping create a circularity within the industry; and potentially creating an alignment between mining and other industries deploying new and highly innovative business models. This week we are exploring the opportunities and progress we see in creating a mining industry that reflects the circular economy. Extraction rates have to be raised, the scientists argue, if only in the short term. The factory processes up to 30,000 tonnes per year of tailings, resulting in a production capacity of up to 3.8 million pre-moulded products, including flooring and concrete blocks. Enabling circular economy for a more sustainable future. Your email address will not be published. The next question becomes how can we process underground?. The public will need to accept greater mining activity if the world is to meet the challenge of going green. China requires 2.5 kilograms of materials to generate US$1 of gross domestic product (GDP) compared with 0.54 . The renewable energy sector is growing at an exponential rate.
ICMM - Ensuring a Just Transition to a Circular Economy What does a circular economy look like for mining and metals, and how do we ensure that mineral-rich producing countries are able to benefit from the resources held in their land? This event will identify focus areas for policymakers and the international community to ensure that the objectives of the regulation can be achieved by accelerating the shift to a global circular economy without hindering global sustainable development goals. Generated from dialogue between mining representatives from 30 countries (World Circular Economy Forum 2021), these insights summarise the key approaches, policies and practices emerging and required for metals to join the circular economy. Brownfield projects tend to be committed to certain footprints and technologies.
Climate-Smart Mining: Minerals for Climate Action - World Bank Group Unfortunately, the EU has to import what it needs, mostly from China. I recently attended an excellent presentation that gave some much needed perspective on this topic. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. What else can we facilitate, even during operations, to bring broader benefits to the region extending beyond the mine life?. In contrast to the linear economy, the circular economy is an economic model that is restorative and regenerative by design. This would at least give them greater security of supply, and control over those aspects (waste, worker exploitation, etc) of the global extraction industry that have too often tarnished its reputation. Chovan, who spoke to me in 2020 about opportunities for greater circularity in mining, joined me to discuss the paper in early January. In some cases, it is possible to turn one industrys waste into a product or material which is useful for a different industry this is called industrial symbiosis. Achieving the Circular Economy in Mining. I am text block. The miner also noted that the technology could be used to extract other minerals, such as rare earth elements, but that this would depend on the financial viability of the process itself. Australia has intensified its circular economy (CE) efforts that demonstrate designing out waste while creating wealth. The concept of the circular economy is an appealing model for the mining industry, as it offers a way to close the loop on resource use and waste. But hopefully by 2050, we would have built a truly circular economy so that most if not all of what we need can come from metals that we've already mined and are already being used in products and technologies," Prof Herrington says. Thats all good and important, but theres a powerful sense that this is more of a transformation piece. The largest waste stream produced by the mining industry is waste rock and tailings. However, the IEA states that by 2040, the recycling and reuse of batteries from electric cars and storage systems could reduce the primary supply requirement for some minerals by up to 12%. This is followed by the leaching of nickel, cobalt and lithium in black mass by acid and then separating and recovering the metals using unique hydro-metallurgical technology. could also be key. The roofing clips by Claerhout Aluminium are an aluminium roof trim enabling the circular finishing of a flat roof with bitumen.
Circular Economy across Australia: Taking Stock of Progress - Springer Mining and the Circular Economy: A CSR Opportunity - LinkedIn This then leads to the creation of roadmaps, alignment of various players and ultimately collaborative projects that move towards this ultimate goal. As part of its research in developing Sustainable Sand, Vales Pico Blocks factory was the first-ever pilot plant for civil construction products made from tailings waste in 2020. In this second part, we will explore our progress, and how true circularity can be achieved. Creating a circular economy for batteries is crucial to prevent one of the solutions to the current environmental crisis becoming the cause of another. Herrington explained that to meet future projections for both critical metals and bulk commodities demand which is, in certain cases, phenomenal graphite, lithium and cobalt, could increase by nearly 500% by 2050 according to the World Bank requires an integrated approach.
Move to net zero 'inevitably means more mining' - BBC News carbon economy, and a circular economy. In 2021, Vale started producing and selling sand. EU Green Week.
Critical Minerals Refresh: Delivering Resilience in a Changing Global The CE approach is both restorative and regenerative by design, and detaches industrial systems from the linear approach of "take, make and dispose of" (Haibin and Zhenling, 2010). And so, this article has (pardon the pun) come full circle. The deployment of mechanical cutting instead of drill and blast, and sensor-based ore sorting are both parts of a move to a continuous, integrated process which allows diversion of waste at the source, less material hoisted to the surface, lower energy and water usage, and less tailings. The regulation will have implications for the EUs own internal environmental and circular economy-related objectives, as well as external impacts through shifts in demand for CRMs and trade flows.
Towards circular economy in mining: Opportunities and bottlenecks for November 18, 2021. "The other thing that's really crucial is that it isn't just about mines; it's the whole supply chain. Its also one that considers itself to be different to the rest Set apart by its unparalleled complexity. It acts as a benchmark for ship recycling legislation around the world. Nature special: The circular economy. The start-up is also bullish about the scalability of its solution, relying on a business model where local recyclers help collect electronic wasteand aid in distributing the recycled materials, potentially enabling the company to build its bio-refineries in any city with significant electronic waste with minimal up-front costs. Both the current mine lifecycle and the way in which mining businesses are structured are quite segmented which makes this ambition hard to achieve. Considering these dangers, and the widespread nature of mercury in the mining industry, Comstocks work could prove beneficial for miners across the sector. According to Young, it was important to understand the substantial potential benefits of going beyond incrementalism in applying circular economy to operations. Very little lithium, graphite or cobalt (all important components in electric batteries) is recycled today. Furthermore the energy is classified as carbon-free, as the main fuel in Kokkolas roasting process is zinc concentrate, which contains almost no carbon.
ICMM announces circular economy partnerships - Mining Magazine However, to create feedback loops and ensure the continual flow of value in metals production requires a significant shift in mindset. ReThink Mining - Global Mining Innovation Powered by CMIC. What will happen to all the dead car batteries? After the Western Australian government announced in June that it would start 'decarbonising' the state, the mining industry and science research teams began preparing for some groundbreaking collaborations. The characteristics of a circular economy mindset are explored in the following three strategic insights. It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.
Reduce, reuse, recycle: A guide to circular economies of digital - APC Rather than having numerous environmental innovations developed individually, it can be beneficial to share knowledge across the supply chain to more efficiently integrate them into operations and generate value. The report explains: Circular economy complements and builds on responsible mining programs by bringing disparate initiatives under an integrated strategy.
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