perpetual environmental risk into a genuinely zero-waste operation. The resulting NAG tailings address the specific, technically-grounded concern that most frequently triggers community opposition and extends permitting timelines. The modular, on-site nature of the RACER process means that these environmental and social benefits are available not just to greenfield projects, but to existing operations seeking to extend operational life, improve community relationships, and access ore bodies previously considered too complex or environmentally contentious to develop. The question RACER poses is direct: what is it worth to eliminate Acid Mine Drainage as a risk category entirely? The LCA data suggest the answer is not just environmental. It is economic, social, and strategic. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Life Cycle Assessment conducted by Minviro Ltd. (Lydia Bridges, Senior Consultant; Him Shun Yu, Senior Analyst; Irdanto Saputra Lase, Senior Scientist). Background data: ecoinvent 3.11 / 3.12. Impact Assessment: Environmental Footprint 3.1. SX/EW data provided by Minviro. Minviro did not contribute to the conventional pyrometallurgical benchmarking analysis. All results are preliminary and subject to revision. REFERENCES 1. International Copper Association. (2023). Copper environmental profile: Global summary 2023. International Copper Association. https://internationalcopper.org 2. CarbonChain. (2024). Understand your copper emissions. CarbonChain. https://carbonchain.com 3. Coalition for Energy Efficient Comminution. (2021). Mining energy consumption 2021. CEEC. https://ceecthefuture.org 4. Reyes, R., Moran-Tejeda, E., Molina, J., and Salazar, C. (2018). Reducing GHG global emissions from copper refining and sea shipping of Chile’s mining exports. Journal of Cleaner Production, 195, 768–780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.240 5. Gao, F., Nie, Z., Yang, Z., Sun, B., Liu, Y., and Gong, X. (2024). Assessment of carbon emissions and reduction potential in China’s copper smelting industry. Journal of Industrial Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13449 6. Reemeyer, L. (2016). What drives GHG emissions from copper production? Resourceful Paths. https://resourcefulpaths.com
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