1010 higher volume of tailings, a situation exacerbated by attempts to increase supply in response to market demand. Valenta et al. (2023) have forecasted a dramatic increase in mining waste production for copper alone through to 2050. A significant increase in tailings storage volume constitutes a significant risk for the mining industry, which has recognized the absolute necessity of safety. The industry is acting to implement changes after catastrophic tailings dam failures at Mount Polley (Canada) in 2014, Samarco (Brazil) in 2015 and Brumadinho (Brazil) in 2019. Catastrophic failures make the headlines, but on average there are 5-6 major incidents reported globally each year since 2000; triggered by events such as heavy rainfall or seismic activity, poor dam construction and/or maintenance, and simply the volume of storage demand due to ore grades (Morrill et. al, 2022; Zhu, Zhang & Puzrin, 2024). This risk is recognized as an industry-wide issue: the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM, 2022) supports adoption of industry standards on tailings management and explores the development of breakthrough technologies through its tailings reduction roadmap. 2. ACHIEVING THE COMPLETE ELIMINATION OF TAILINGS So how we might consider and achieve the complete elimination of tailings, and which key knowledge gaps and obstacles remain to be addressed? This can be a daunting question to consider, as there is no silver bullet to eliminate waste and tailings, and challenges vary by commodity, deposit, geography, and operating legacy. This paper presents the following continuum of approaches to address tailings that can form the basis for a technology and innovation roadmap for a mining company that wishes to embark on a zero waste and tailings optimization journey. In brief, the approaches are: 1. Optimize Recovery Recover all the value that is possible from waste and tailings, including minerals and water. This can also improve safety through dewatering and dry stacking. 2. Eliminate Waste Reject waste as early as possible in the process through precision mining, ore upgrading, and reducing or eliminating water in processing. 3. Process Everything Derive value from the entire rock that has been extracted, and process all of it. 4. Transform Leaching Improve the cycle time and recoveries from leaching to help make it a viable alternative, with reduced waste and ability to target lower ore grades. 5. Recover through In-Situ Extraction Develop new approaches to extracting valuable minerals directly from the ore body without conventional mining methods, leaving waste behind. Mining companies can develop a portfolio of initiatives based on the above approaches, to start providing value today, and address the risks and constraints of the future. 2.1 Optimize Recovery There are several opportunities to improve recovery from waste. Firstly, tailings can be repurposed for creating valuable materials. This typically involves chemical and physical alterations to remove contaminants and change their physical attributes to make them suitable for use, such as in
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