P1358B Development of a geometallurgically informed model for extraction of critical minerals (CMs) from sulfide and iron tailing piles

Project Number: P1358B

Status: Open for Sponsorship

Duration: 3 Years

Amira Program Manager: Redeemina Comfort Bonnah

This project aims to develop a mineralogy model that enables the development of a comprehensive geometallurgy-informed processing flowsheet for the efficient extraction of critical minerals from sulfide and or iron tailings piles. By implementing advanced mineral processing techniques, we seek to unlock economic value, enhance resource recovery, and address the growing demand for critical minerals.

As global demand for critical minerals intensifies and new high-grade deposits become increasingly rare, focusing on recovering these essential materials from existing tailings has become crucial. Historically, mining operations left behind tailings with untapped mineral value due to past technological limitations, and/or lack of demand. These tailings, once considered waste, now present significant opportunities for resource recovery.

For example:

• Sulfide tailings: Tailings and residues from various mining and processing operations, including copper, lead, zinc, and other sulfide ores, contain valuable critical minerals such as copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum group metals (PGMs), and gold, as well as germanium and gallium. These minerals are essential for numerous high-tech and green technologies.

• Iron tailings: These can provide additional recoverable elements including vanadium, titanium, and iron oxides plus rare earth elements (REEs), neodymium, dysprosium, and terbium, vital for magnets and electronics.

A key advantage of the geometallurgically informed model developed through this project is its adaptability. The methodologies and techniques established can be tailored and applied to a wide range of tailings and residues from both mining and processing activities. This flexibility enhances the project’s impact and applicability across various contexts, offering a broader solution to tailings management as well as resource recovery challenges.

By addressing these opportunities and overcoming the challenges associated with tailings, our project aims to significantly contribute to resource efficiency, environmental stewardship, and sustainability goals by minimizing waste and optimizing recovery.

The Proposal

The proposed work for this project aims at:

1. The development of a geometallurgically informed model to optimize the extraction of valuable minerals from mining tailings.
2. The integration of state-of-the-art techniques in mineral processing and hydrometallurgy to maximize resource recovery and environmental sustainability.

Detailed work to be carried out for this project:

The project is currently under development and open to sponsors. Please contact Redeemina Comfort Bonnah at redeemina.bonnah@amira.global for more information.