2024). Such variability influences their technical and environmental behaviour, making direct reuse challenging (Barroso et al., 2026). Therefore, the effective use of mining residues in construction requires careful control of their physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties to guarantee technical quality and environmental safety (Simonsen et al., 2020). On the other hand, a comprehensive characterization enables the selection of appropriate recovery or reuse options for mining wastes. Within this context, the current research explores the potential for valorizing four types of mining waste: sulphide tailings (PT1), granite sludge (PT2), marble sludge (PT3), and limestone sludge (PT4). Conducted as part of the ValorWaste project, this work aims to identify sustainable pathways for both fresh and stored metallic and non-metallic mining residues, contributing to advancing circular resource management and enhancing material efficiency in the mining sector. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Origin of Materials and Sampling Locations Four mining waste samples were collected within the framework of the ValorWaste project from different extractive industry sites and geographical locations in Portugal. The collected materials include fresh sulphide tailings (PT1), granite sludge (PT2), marble sludge (PT3), and limestone sludge (PT4), representing both metallic and non-metallic residues. Fresh sulphide tailings were collected from the flotation circuit of a copper mine processing plant (ST). Granite sludge was obtained from a granite quarry (GS), marble sludge was collected from a marble quarrying and processing site (MS), while limestone sludge was obtained from a limestone production site (LS). The geographical locations of the sampling sites are presented in Figure 1. Figure 1 – Location of the collected samples of mining wastes.
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