Industrial waste—A valuable source of rare metals or a reclamation object?

Abstract

The scope of the analysis embraces nine types of industrial waste: low-grade ore piles, pyrite cinder dumps, tailings dumps, wet magneti c separation and flotation tailings ponds, phosphogypsum piles, red mud ponds, as well as dumps of metallurgical and electric power industries. The prospects of using the industrial waste as a source for production of rare metals, rare earths and other by-products are discussed. The practical interest lies only in the use of low-grade ore and pyrite cinder. Recovery of valuable components from the other types of industrial waste is incapable to solve the problem connected with the waste management but can only aggravate it. It is expedient to extract valuable components from waste of current processing, in amount to be sufficient to satisfy the related demand. To this effect, it is necessary to create new no-waste technologies. This is the way taken by Russia’s largest companies RUSAL and ROSTEC: reduction in cost of the main production releases finds for the implementation of environmental and nature-oriented activities.The problem connected with the use of many millions of tons of ecologically hazardous old waste is solved in a big way by means of reclamation, which is only possible in association with the government, through establishment of a public institution on industrial waste management.