Scientists at the University of Arizona have launched a major project to extract valuable and scarce elements from billions of tons of waste from old copper mines while reducing environmental risks.
A study has been launched in the USA that may change attitudes towards mining waste. A team from the University of Arizona, backed by a $3.6 million grant, is studying whether waste dumps can be recycled to produce critical minerals for industry.
We are talking about the so-called tailings ponds, where waste has accumulated for decades. In Arizona alone, their volume is estimated at tens of billions of tons, with hundreds of millions more added each year. Previously, such materials were considered useless. Now scientists are testing whether arsenic, zinc and possibly tungsten can be extracted from them.
The project is led by mining engineering professor Isabelle Barton. According to her, the task is not to urgently declare reserves, but to understand how much really usable metal can be obtained and under what conditions it will be economically justified.
Researchers are using satellite data, drone footage, sample analysis and information from mining companies. The first results have already shown that in some tailings there are minerals whose presence was not previously expected.
Special emphasis is placed on practical benefits. The United States is almost entirely dependent on imports of arsenic and a number of other elements needed for electronics, solar panels, lasers and telecommunications. Even small-scale domestic production can reduce risks to industry and supply chains.
In 2026, the team will begin calculations that will show whether it is possible extract metals using standard methods and how cost-effective it is.
If the approach proves effective, copper mine waste could transform from an environmental problem into an additional source of strategic resources for the US economy.
Source: MINING.COM
Photo: Lacey Bouzan Singh
