The management and classification of secondary resources represents an important step forward in promoting enhanced circularity. The reduction of knowledge gaps in mining waste characterisation, its inventorying and the development of appropriate waste classification schemes are treated in this contribution. These actions support circularity in mining practice. The objective is to provide a research tool/portfolio for the advancement and conceptualisation of the more sustainable handling of natural resources in the Nordic countries. This includes investigating attitudes and community perceptions regarding the potential exploitation of mining waste as a secondary resource.
Authors
Organizations mentioned
- OAI
- oai:DiVA.org:norden-13303
- Pages
- 141
- Published in
- Oslo
- Responsible organisation
- Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordic Innovation
- URN
- urn:nbn:se:norden:org:diva-13303
- Year
- 2024
- pages
- 141
Table of Contents
- Authors 2
- Acknowledgment of contributions 2
- Table of contents 3
- 1 Executive summary 5
- 2 Introduction 7
- 2.1 Macro-economic factors influencing metal prices 8
- 2.2 Current outlook 11
- 2.2.1 Short-term commodity price stability 11
- 2.2.2 Long-term commodity price projections 13
- 2.2.3 Considerations of the impact of short-term price instabilities and long-term pricing models on CRM exploration and mining 14
- 2.3 The Nordic Sustainable Minerals Programme 16
- 2.4 Work package 2: Recovery & Recycling 16
- 2.5 Definition and significance of secondary resources in the context of recovery of co- and by-products 17
- 2.6 Importance of CRMs in the green energy transition 19
- 2.7 Metal’s companionality 23
- 2.8 CRMs and non-CRMs considered important for trade in the Nordic countries 25
- 2.9 Mineral and metal production in the Nordic countries 29
- 2.9.1 Mining and mineral processing in Denmark and Greenland 29
- 2.9.2 Mining and mineral processing in Finland 30
- 2.9.3 Mining and mineral processing in Iceland 32
- 2.9.4 Mining and mineral processing in Norway 33
- 2.9.5 Mining and mineral processing in Sweden 34
- 3 Investigations of the CRM potential and other factors influencing waste management and re-mining in the Nordic countries 36
- 3.1 Environmental, social and governance issues associated with Finnish mine tailings 36
- 3.1.1 Aijala 38
- 3.1.2 Kaustinen 40
- 3.1.3 Otanmäki 41
- 3.1.4 Talvivaara 42
- 3.1.5 Project categorisation regarding public acceptance 44
- 3.1.6 Legal aspects related to the re-mining of tailings 44
- 3.1.7 Conclusions regarding the Finnish case studies 45
- 3.2 Grängesberg & Yxsjöberg case studies on tailings 46
- 3.2.1 Grängesberg 46
- 3.2.2 Yxsjöberg 46
- 3.2.3 Methods and sampling 47
- 3.2.4 Critical and strategic mineral potential of Grängesberg 50
- 3.2.5 Critical and strategic raw material potential of Yxsjöberg 51
- 3.3 Løkken case study on tailings 55
- 3.3.1 Ore geology 55
- 3.3.2 Mining and metal extraction history 55
- 3.3.3 Geochemical methodology 56
- 3.3.4 Geophysics 58
- 3.3.5 Results and discussion 60
- 3.3.6 Conclusions from the Løkken study 66
- 3.4 Building a dataset on mining waste in Norway 66
- 3.5 Extraction of metals from disposed mining sludge waters 67
- 3.5.1 Is there a more sustainable way to treat mine water? 67
- 3.5.2 Promising results in extracting metals at the lab scale 68
- 3.5.3 Pollution today – resource tomorrow? 70
- 3.6 Examination of aluminium dross from the Norðurál aluminium smelter at Grundartangi, SW Iceland 71
- 3.6.1 Introduction 71
- 3.6.3 Methodology 71
- 3.6.4 Results 71
- 3.6.5 Summary 73
- 3.7 CRM recovery potential of fly ash (FA) from Denmark 74
- 3.7.1 Purpose of the case studies 76
- 3.7.2 Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) 76
- 3.7.3 The two case studies and reference study 79
- 3.7.4 Waste composition 80
- 3.7.5 Sampling 82
- 3.7.6 Geochemical analysis 83
- 3.7.7 Boiler ash and filter ash – quantitative estimation 84
- 3.7.8 Results 85
- 4 The Nordic Database: integration of primary and secondary mineral resource data 89
- 4.1 A cloud-based repository for primary and secondary mineral resources in the Nordic countries 90
- 4.1.1 Workflows and methodology adopted and database organisation 91
- 4.2 Classification of primary and secondary resources 108
- 4.2.1 Methodology used for the economic valuation of ore deposits and mining waste 108
- 4.2.2 Application of the metal equivalent methodology to the Nordic Database 109
- 4.2.3 Classification results and implications for the primary and secondary CRM potential in the Nordics 112
- 5 Discussion and conclusions 117
- 6 Recommendations 124
- Annexes 126
- Annex A 126
- Annex B 129
- Annex C 130
- Annex D 131
- Annex E 132
- References 133