Recycling and Reuse of Mine Tailings: A Review of Advancements and Their Implications
Mining is an important industry, accounting for 6.9% of global GDP. However, global development promotes accelerated demand, resulting in the accumulation of hazardous waste in land, sea, and air environments. It reached 7 billion tonnes of mine tailings generated yearly worldwide, and 19 billion so...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-08-01
|
| Series: | Geosciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/9/319 |
| _version_ | 1797487925045231616 |
|---|---|
| author | Francisco S. M. Araujo Isabella Taborda-Llano Everton Barbosa Nunes Rafael M. Santos |
| author_facet | Francisco S. M. Araujo Isabella Taborda-Llano Everton Barbosa Nunes Rafael M. Santos |
| author_sort | Francisco S. M. Araujo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mining is an important industry, accounting for 6.9% of global GDP. However, global development promotes accelerated demand, resulting in the accumulation of hazardous waste in land, sea, and air environments. It reached 7 billion tonnes of mine tailings generated yearly worldwide, and 19 billion solid tailings will be accumulated by 2025. Adding to this, the legacy of environmental damage from abandoned mines is worrying; there are around 10,000 abandoned mines in Canada, 50,000 in Australia, and 6000 in South Africa, as well as 9500 coal mines in China, reaching 15,000 by 2050. In this scenario, restoration techniques from mining tailings have become increasingly discussed among scholars due to their potential to offer benefits towards reducing tailing levels, thereby reducing environmental pressure for the correct management and adding value to previously discarded waste. This review paper explores the available literature on the main techniques of mining tailing recycling and reuse and discusses leading technologies, including the benefits and limitations, as well as emerging prospects. The findings of this review serve as a supporting reference for decision makers concerning the related sustainability issues associated with mining, mineral processing, and solid waste management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:55:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a5ea30a7a47d4b07837b7012715805e3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:55:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-a5ea30a7a47d4b07837b7012715805e32023-11-23T16:26:43ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632022-08-0112931910.3390/geosciences12090319Recycling and Reuse of Mine Tailings: A Review of Advancements and Their ImplicationsFrancisco S. M. Araujo0Isabella Taborda-Llano1Everton Barbosa Nunes2Rafael M. Santos3School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaSchool of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaFederal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Ceará (IFCE), Pecém Campus, Caucaia 62670-000, Ceará, BrazilSchool of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaMining is an important industry, accounting for 6.9% of global GDP. However, global development promotes accelerated demand, resulting in the accumulation of hazardous waste in land, sea, and air environments. It reached 7 billion tonnes of mine tailings generated yearly worldwide, and 19 billion solid tailings will be accumulated by 2025. Adding to this, the legacy of environmental damage from abandoned mines is worrying; there are around 10,000 abandoned mines in Canada, 50,000 in Australia, and 6000 in South Africa, as well as 9500 coal mines in China, reaching 15,000 by 2050. In this scenario, restoration techniques from mining tailings have become increasingly discussed among scholars due to their potential to offer benefits towards reducing tailing levels, thereby reducing environmental pressure for the correct management and adding value to previously discarded waste. This review paper explores the available literature on the main techniques of mining tailing recycling and reuse and discusses leading technologies, including the benefits and limitations, as well as emerging prospects. The findings of this review serve as a supporting reference for decision makers concerning the related sustainability issues associated with mining, mineral processing, and solid waste management.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/9/319beneficiationslagflotationconstruction materialsoil remediation |
| spellingShingle | Francisco S. M. Araujo Isabella Taborda-Llano Everton Barbosa Nunes Rafael M. Santos Recycling and Reuse of Mine Tailings: A Review of Advancements and Their Implications Geosciences beneficiation slag flotation construction material soil remediation |
| title | Recycling and Reuse of Mine Tailings: A Review of Advancements and Their Implications |
| title_full | Recycling and Reuse of Mine Tailings: A Review of Advancements and Their Implications |
| title_fullStr | Recycling and Reuse of Mine Tailings: A Review of Advancements and Their Implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Recycling and Reuse of Mine Tailings: A Review of Advancements and Their Implications |
| title_short | Recycling and Reuse of Mine Tailings: A Review of Advancements and Their Implications |
| title_sort | recycling and reuse of mine tailings a review of advancements and their implications |
| topic | beneficiation slag flotation construction material soil remediation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/9/319 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT franciscosmaraujo recyclingandreuseofminetailingsareviewofadvancementsandtheirimplications AT isabellatabordallano recyclingandreuseofminetailingsareviewofadvancementsandtheirimplications AT evertonbarbosanunes recyclingandreuseofminetailingsareviewofadvancementsandtheirimplications AT rafaelmsantos recyclingandreuseofminetailingsareviewofadvancementsandtheirimplications |