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Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
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A new approach to dealing with the dangers of tailings
Mining is a process that produces vast amounts of material, for which the industry is trying to find a sustainable – and profitable – use. Tailings production is an inherent part of mining and metals processing and will remain so for the foreseeable future. There is also a serious safety concern inherent in the process, with tailings likely to be a dangerous source of toxic chemicals. 'I have seen estimates for global tailings production of around 14.5 billion tonnes a year, all of which must be stored safely for a significant amount of time – if not in perpetuity,' Simon Jowitt, director and state geologist of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, tells Mining Technology. That amount is also unlikely to decrease at any time soon, 'so the continued storage of this […] material, [which] is often challenging to keep safely, remains a major concern for the industry'. Tailings can contain significant amounts of metals that either were ignored the first time around because of low demand for the metal at the time of mining (or a lack of consideration of potential extraction), or because of poor recovery. 'There are several efforts globally to characterise both legacy tailings (post-mining) and tailings at currently active mines for the extraction of critical and other metals. We are currently doing some of this work in Nevada, and I have also been involved in work assessing the potential of tailings and other mining waste for tellurium and other metal production,' Jowitt adds. There are other potential uses for tailings from certain mineral deposits, such as carbon dioxide sequestration. Emma Gagen, director, International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), tells Mining Technology that if not managed responsibly, "tailings pose environmental and societal risks'. However, companies' robust implementation of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management across sites 'can help to support continual improvement in the safe, responsible and transparent management of tailings'. She adds that reducing tailings is an 'ambitious challenge that requires an integrated approach across most parts of the mining process'. The ICMM published a Tailings Reduction Roadmap in 2022 to provide strategic direction to the mining and metals industry on how to accelerate the development and adoption of some of the most promising technologies to reduce tailings – including approaches such as reusing existing tailings for new purposes and products. This helps to reduce the volume being stored whilst creating additional value. Moving beyond minerals and metals recovery, there are other opportunities to minimise the waste associated with tailings and turning them into something of real commercial use. In mid-May, a sustainable mining start-up – OreSand, led by Professor Daniel Franks of the Sustainable Minerals Institute – backed by University of Queensland (UQ) researchers, was recognised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for advancing tailings management. WEF's Uplink Top Innovators programme named the project has as one of eight global winners that will gain access to networks capable of supporting and scaling it up. OreSand offers mining companies research-backed data to help them drastically reduce waste, as well as produce useful sand byproducts at a time when global demand for the material is surging, according to statement from UQ. 'Most of the minerals we mine are only a tiny fraction of the millions and millions of tonnes of ore we end up producing as a result. Hence, we end up blasting, crushing and grinding an awful lot of material we don't actually need or use,' says Franks. The main commodities that contribute to this large amount of material are coal, copper, gold, iron ore, phosphate and zinc. As the energy transition is metals-intensive, investment in renewable energy, energy storage and electric vehicles will increase demand for critical materials such as copper, cobalt and nickel – which, in turn, will lead to greater production of tailings under current production processes. 'But,' says Franks, 'the really in-demand solid material used by humans is sand, and the amount of gravel, crushed stone and sand being used is close to 50 billion tonnes a year. Sand is now becoming a major global sustainability issue, especially when it is extracted from dynamic ecosystems, such as rivers, lakes and the ocean.' 'What we have tried so far is to reuse and repurpose tailings, and it hasn't worked, for two reasons: tailings are not fit for purpose, and lack the required characteristics of the product; and governments and the general public have been rightly quite wary of using the mining industry's waste,' adds Franks. However, Franks points out that processes have been added over the past five years to extract sand as a byproduct of mining – and produce something called OreSand, a type of manufactured sand that can be used in either construction and other industrial processes. 'Technically, this is not tailings repurposing, this a product made from the ore. This is a process that reduces or avoids waste and should really be viewed as a change in perspective,' he adds. Franks points out that the 'major advantage of OreSand from a construction perspective is that you get the crushing and grinding for free, as this was necessary for the primary metal. This also means of course that the sand is a lower-carbon product'. OreSand can be used as a substitute for construction and industrial sand, and is suitable for applications such as road construction, brickmaking and the manufacture of concrete. OreSand can also be viewed as an integral part of the circular economy as it is a product of the ore itself, not a byproduct of mining waste. Poorly managed tailings can have significant environmental impacts, says Jowitt: all you need to do is look at events at Brumadinho, Bento Rodrigues, Sino-Metals in Zambia, Jagersfontein, and more, even back to 1966 and Aberfan in Wales (when a colliery spoil tip collapsed, killing 144 people). 'True, recent reassessments, developments and improvement in tailings storage facility design have been made (as a result of high-profile failures), but tailings storage facilities are sometimes built in areas where failures could have extreme consequences,' he adds. There is a lot of potential to generate wealth from waste, says Jowitt. The concept of not-for-profit mining is actively being discussed, 'where revenue from (for example) critical metal extraction from tailings is used to remediate problematic mine sites, as well as developing secure domestic critical metal and mineral supply chains'. 'Obviously, there is likely to be profits made as well, but more Good Samaritan-type legislation may be needed to more fully realise this potential,' says Jowitt. A spokesperson from Fortescue, a global metal mining company headquartered in Australia, told Mining Technology that the industry is 'increasingly collaborating on circular economy initiatives, with growing potential to recover residual minerals from stored tailings or repurpose tailings for other projects', while the company remains committed to reducing and recycling waste. "A new approach to dealing with the dangers of tailings" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
BBC News
04-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wakefield end Magic Weekend by beating Cas
Betfred Super LeagueCastleford (4) 8Tries: Simm, WoodWakefield (16) 32Tries: Jowitt, Faatili 2, Walmsley 2, Johnstone Goals: Jowitt 4 Wakefield Trinity put in a classy performance to beat Castleford Tigers in the final 2025 Magic Weekend fixture at St James' Jowitt weaved his way through to send Trinity ahead and Caius Faatili ran in under the posts to continue their dominant Simm cut into Wakefield's lead just past the half-hour mark but Wakefield went in at the break on top off the back of Lachlan Walmsley's Johnstone received Mason Lino's kick to send Wakefield further in front, before Sam Wood went in for Cas, but Walmsley and Faatili both scored a second try, with Trinity's fifth win of the campaign never looking in doubt. Wakefield went ahead courtesy of a training-ground move which saw Jake Trueman sent Jowitt through as he dummied his way into gaining the space to touch down and then go on to convert his own went 12-0 ahead without much competition from Castleford courtesy of Faatili sailing in from a Mike McMeeken Castleford did get on the board, they did so in impressive fashion - straight from a scrum they worked the ball wide to Simm, who did well to cut inside and find the space to dot that point the game was in the balance, but Walmsley's try, off the back of a looping ball to the wing, sent Trinity in with a commanding 12-point advantage was extended in fine fashion after the break as Lino's last-ditch kick was perfectly placed for Johnstone to collect and ground with their deficit, Castleford scored a classy try of their own on the hour mark as Rowan Milnes' kick bounced kindly for Jordan Dezaria, who fed Daejarn Asi to send Wood through to could have wrapped up the win for Wakefield as a result of an audacious move from Walmsley, but his kick was knocked on by Jowitt in the process of the Trinity full-back's attempt to go did well to weather the storm, but Wakefield added another score to their tally, with Lino influential again to work the ball laterally to Walmsley to dive in, and Faatili added a second try of his own with a 70-metre run in, with Cas unable to catch was a disappointing showing by Castleford for much of the 80 minutes, as they slip to an eighth defeat from 10 Super League matches this term. Castleford: Hoy; Simm, Cini, Wood, Senior; Asi, Milnes; Amone, Rimbu, Dezaria, Lawler, Mellor, Westerman, Okoro, Salabio, Jowitt; Walmsley, Hall, Pratt, Johnstone; Trueman, Lino; McMeeken, Hood, Faatili, Croft, Griffin, Scott, Vagana, Cozza, Tom Grant.
BBC News
26-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Catalans claim Golden Point win over Wakefield
Betfred Super LeagueCatalans (8) 24Tries: Garcia, Satae, Cotric, Smith Goals: Aispuro-Bichet (18) 20Tries: Jowitt, Hood, Griffin Goals: Jowitt 4. Catalans Dragons picked up a 24-20 Golden Point victory in a terrific encounter against Wakefield Trinity at the Stade Gilbert Smith's try two minutes into extra-time earned the hosts a stunning comeback win after they trailed by 10 points at half-time and extended the French side's winning run against Wakefield in all competitions to 14 from Benjamin Garcia, Chris Satae and Nick Cotric - along with four kicks from fullback Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet - had given the hosts a two-point lead with just moments of the match first-half tries from Max Jowitt, Liam Hood and Josh Griffin - along with four kicks from Jowitt - helped take the visitors to Golden move up a place to seventh in Super League while Wakefield stay to follow. Catalans: Aispuro-Bichet; Makinson, Laguerre, Smith, Cotric; Keary, Fages; Pangai Jr, Garcia, Bousquet, Sims, Whitehead, Da Costa, Satae, Navarrete, Keary (35).Wakefield: Rourke; Scott, Hall, Pratt, Johnstone; Jowitt, Lino; McMeeken, Hood, Hamlin-Uele, Vagana, Griffin, Atoni, Cozza, Smith, Vagana (36), Lino (81)Referee: Aaron Moore.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Trinity stage late comeback to beat Tigers
Mason Lino (left) scored a late drop goal to secure a rare Wakefield Trinity win against Castleford [ Betfred Super League Wakefield (0) 13 Tries: Smith, Jowitt Goals: Jowitt 2 Drop-goal: Lino Castleford (12) 12 Tries: Qareqare 2, Wood Mason Lino's late drop-goal completed a second-half Wakefield Trinity comeback as they snapped a run of nine consecutive home defeats by Castleford Tigers. The struggling Tigers, who have won just once in Super League this season, looked set to double that tally after Jason Qareqare's two first-half tries and another for Sam Wood put them 12-0 up at half-time. Advertisement However, Rowan Milnes' failure to add any of the extras kept the door open for Trinity, who fought back to level after the interval through converted scores by Harvey Smith and Max Jowitt. With just four minutes remaining, Lino scrambled a drop-goal just over the posts to edge Wakefield in front for the first time and secure the win that lifts them to seventh in the table. Arriving at Belle Vue on the back of three straight defeats, Castleford might have scored early as Zac Cini sped down the right flank but Tom Johnstone's crucial tackle bundled him into touch. However, the visitors' opening try came from a lightning counter-attack as full-back Tex Hoy clasped Corey Hall's kick deep inside his own territory and zigzagged past several challenges before releasing Qareqare for an unstoppable run all the way to the line. Advertisement Despite plenty of possession, Wakefield's attacks foundered on a combination of sloppy passing and gritty Cas defence and Mike McMeeken squandered a chance to hit back when he knocked on Lino's kick just under the posts. Instead, the Tigers extended their lead as Wood soared to gather Milnes' precision kick and ground it safely – and Qareqare, accelerating into space once again, collected another ball from Milnes and held off his man to make it 12-0. Milnes hooked all three of his first-half conversion opportunities wide, ensuring Wakefield remained very much within sight of their visitors at half-time but their frustration initially continued after the turnaround. Hoy's tackle somehow denied Johnstone after a storming run from well inside his own half and Jay Pitts was also kept out right on the line thanks to a last-minute interception by Liam Horne. Advertisement Wakefield pressure eventually paid dividends, however, as Smith dived over from dummy half and it looked as though Lino had added a second try, twisting across from close range. Video referee Ben Thaler overturned the on-field decision, ruling that Jeremiah Simbiken had done enough to prevent Lino grounding the ball – but the home side did score later in the set as Jowitt stretched to find the whitewash. Milnes could have redeemed himself with a drop-goal attempt from distance, but the kick sailed off target and Wakefield surged upfield again, with Lino keeping his nerve to settle the contest. Wakefield: Jowitt; Scott, Hall, Pratt, Johnstone; Pitts, Lino; McMeeken, Hood, Rodwell, Nikotemo, Griffin, Cozza. Advertisement Interchanges: Hamlin-Uele, Atoni, Smith, Faatili. Castleford: Hoy; Simm, Cini, Wood, Qareqare; Asi, Milnes; Okoro, Horne, Lawler, Simbiken, Mellor, Mustapha. Interchanges: Westerman, Rimbu, Salabio, Dezaria. Referee: Aaron Moore
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Trinity stage late comeback to beat Tigers
Betfred Super LeagueWakefield (0) 13Tries: Smith, Jowitt Goals: Jowitt 2 Drop-goal: LinoCastleford (12) 12Tries: Qareqare 2, Wood Mason Lino's late drop-goal completed a second-half Wakefield Trinity comeback as they snapped a run of nine consecutive home defeats by Castleford struggling Tigers, who have won just once in Super League this season, looked set to double that tally after Jason Qareqare's two first-half tries and another for Sam Wood put them 12-0 up at Rowan Milnes' failure to add any of the extras kept the door open for Trinity, who fought back to level after the interval through converted scores by Harvey Smith and Max just four minutes remaining, Lino scrambled a drop-goal just over the posts to edge Wakefield in front for the first time and secure the win that lifts them to seventh in the to follow. Wakefield: Jowitt; Scott, Hall, Pratt, Johnstone; Pitts, Lino; McMeeken, Hood, Rodwell, Nikotemo, Griffin, Hamlin-Uele, Atoni, Smith, Hoy; Simm, Cini, Wood, Qareqare; Asi, Milnes; Okoro, Horne, Lawler, Simbiken, Mellor, Westerman, Rimbu, Salabio, Aaron Moore
