Making mine tailings a valuable resource for the construction industry
Researchers have developed a new framework to transform one of the world’s largest waste streams into a valuable resource for the construction industry
Mine tailings, leftover mining material, are produced in large quantities every year and are often stored in facilities with limited long-term use. Globally, they represent the largest industrial waste stream and can pose environmental risks, including water contamination and long-term ecosystem damage.
Dr Ceren Ince from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh developed a way to assess and repurpose these materials, bridging the gap between the mining and construction sectors. Ince’s mineral-based framework enables mine operators to analyse their waste and identify how it could be reused as a component in cement and other construction materials.
Ince said, “Mining produces enormous volumes of waste, but much of that material still contains useful components. Our framework provides a structured method to unlock that potential consistently and reliably. Rather than being tailored to a specific site or mineral, the system offers a general method for categorising tailings and linking them to sustainable treatment approaches.”
Ince and her colleagues conducted a large-scale analysis of over 5,000 studies on mine tailings and other mineral waste, capturing the variation in materials produced worldwide.
Ince said, “We use a material’s mineral composition, its fingerprint, as the starting point for decision making. The fingerprint tells us how the tailings are likely to behave when processed, and whether they can be transformed into a cement-like material. We are not complicating things; this will give waste managers a framework to repurpose their tailings.”
The mining and construction sectors are both under pressure to reduce their environmental impact. Cement production is responsible for around 8% of global carbon emissions, while demand for critical minerals is expected to increase as countries move towards net zero.
Ince said, “This creates an opportunity to rethink how we see mine waste. Instead of something that needs to be stored indefinitely, it can become part of a circular system where materials are reused and given a second life.
“Mining will continue to expand. The question is how we manage the materials that come with it. This framework is one step towards a more sustainable approach, where waste becomes part of a wider resource system."
