From Risk to Resource: Collaborating to Accelerate Tailings Innovation
As the need for clean energy technologies required to achieve global climate goals increases, so will the demand for critical minerals. Mining these critical minerals brings the challenge of extracting greater value from declining ore grade deposits, deeper ore bodies and increased mineralogical complexity. These factors have the potential to lead to increased tailings production. Highlighting both the risks and opportunities, this briefing note presents innovative strategies, case studies, and calls to action to reduce, re-use, and re-imagine tailings not just as a mining by-product, or a risk to be reduced, but as a shared opportunity for innovation and sustainability.
- Tailings volumes are increasing globally due to declining ore grades and growing demand for critical minerals – escalating environmental and social risks.
- Produced by ICMM and informed by insights from the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Global Summit on Mine Tailings Innovation, this document explores how industry, academia, and regulators can collaborate to Reduce, Re-use, and Re-imagine tailings.
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Emerging technologies – such as hydraulic dewatered stacking, coarse particle flotation, and bioleaching – are being piloted to lower tailings volumes and minimise environmental impact.
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Tailings can be repurposed as valuable resources, including construction materials and industrial inputs, advancing circular economy objectives.
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Collaboration is essential. The MIT Global Summit on Mine Tailings Innovation showcased how partnerships between industry, academia, startups, and regulators accelerate progress.
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Policy reform and cultural shifts are critical to overcoming barriers like regulatory constraints, liability concerns, and industry opacity, enabling wider adoption of innovative tailings practices.
