A circular economy is an economic model that maximizes the utilization of resources, products, and materials for as long as possible, with the goal of avoiding waste and pollution. The principles of a circular economy can be applied to mining and mineral processing by redeveloping the industry away from a linear “take-make-use-dispose” towards a sustainable, resource-conserving, and waste-minimizing one. This entails designing for recovery of as much as possible resources, waste and environmental footprint minimization, and material reuse and recycling maximization.
Circular economy has various uses in mineral processing and mining including:
- Waste and reprocessing reduction: recovering valuable minerals at past disposal sites, waste rock, and tailings to reduce the need for new mining and eliminate waste legacy.
- Efficiency in resources: reducing water, energy, and raw material usage, e.g., water recycling and efficient equipment.
- Refurbishment and reuse: keeping equipment and infrastructure in service longer by repairing, refurbishing, and reusing.
- Circular material cycles and closed-loop systems: making processes so that materials continuously return to production instead of being waste, e.g., making mining and processing operations to allow these cycles from the beginning.
- Mine closure and ecosystem rehabilitation: developing integrated closure plans that rehabilitate ecosystems and provide for sustainable post-mining land use.
- Artificial intelligence and digital technologies: using big data, artificial intelligence, and satellite monitoring to optimize resource recovery and lower costs.
- Inter-sectoral collaboration: utilizing mining waste products (e.g., tailings) in other industries like construction to enable circular synergies.
- Social and economic benefits: increased efficiency in resource use, reduced environmental footprint, additional sources of income from material recovery, improved social license to operate, and compliance with sustainability targets.
These approaches enable mining operators to manage resources responsibly, reduce environmental effects, enhance resilience of operations, and meet growing demand for minerals in a sustainable way while making decarbonization and circular business models possible.
