Unlocking the potential: Mining tailings as a source of sustainable nanomaterials

Abstract

Mining tailings which are once considered as unwanted waste are now emerging as a potential source of valuable nanomaterials with a wide range of applications. Nanomaterials derived from mining tailings have the potential to revolutionize industries such as electronics, medicine, environmental remediation, and more. This novel approach not only addresses the issue of waste management but also contributes to the sustainable utilization of resources. However, the basic understanding of nanomaterials is important to handle the nanomaterials derived from the mining tailings. It is also important to optimize the experimental parameters for the conventional and advanced extraction techniques for the better recovery of nanomaterials from the mining tailings. In this review, we have discussed a brief description of tailings from mining industries, basic characteristics of nanomaterials, reprocessing of mining tailings for the synthesis of nanomaterials, process for recovery of nanomaterials and their suitable applications in various sectors. We have briefly given the advantages and challenges over these mining tailings derived nanomaterials compared to other nanomaterials in terms of waste management and circular economy aspects. We have discussed some possible applications of various tailing derived nanomaterials. We have included environmental and safety considerations and finally we have concluded the important aspects for the future perspectives.