Utilization of Mineral Waste: A Method for Expanding the Mineral Resource Base of a Mining and Smelting Company

Abstract

As the population grows, the need for mineral resources increases, resulting in an intensification of their extraction. This increases the amount of industrial waste and, thus, the human impact on the environment. Further accumulation and storage of industrial waste lead to irreversible changes in the ecosystem. The only correct vector of environmental protection is the utilization of industrial waste. Mining waste can be disposed by creating waste-free technologies that take into account the integrated development of deposits. The creation of an additional material resource base of a mining company by processing mineral waste will allow implementing the tasks of integrated development of deposits. The impact of mining and metallurgical works on the ecosystem of the region is assessed. Significant conceptual issues of application of industrial waste in the closed cycle of mining and metallurgical works are considered. It is confirmed that waste-free production is possible with a system approach to the integrated development of mineral resources. The impact of mining and metallurgical works on the environment is classified, with the physical and chemical principles of impact as the main classification feature. The ecological and economic efficiency of the use of industrial waste is assessed. A concept scheme of waste-free production is proposed, where the task of improving the efficiency of developing a mineral deposit is accomplished by rational, integrated use of mineral resources of the Earth.