84 minerals. For copper, this typically involves solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX/EW), where the copper is chemically extracted from the solution and then electrically plated onto cathodes to produce pure copper metal. There are several technical challenges to in-situ extraction, including ore body characterization, permeability enhancement, effective lixiviants, solution flow, and effective monitoring and control systems. The current regulatory landscape also does not provide specific guidelines for in-situ extraction in many jurisdictions, and that can further complicate obtaining operational permits. Trend Spotlight: Electrokinetic In-Situ Recovery (EK-ISR) is a relatively new concept, where electric fields drive metal migration and recovery without conventional excavation, eliminating traditional waste streams (Martens et al., 2021). Ekion has tested this technology in Western Australia for extracting metals from tailings and clay-hosted Rare Earth Elements (REEs), demonstrating up to 83% recovery of Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREEs) in laboratory settings. This technology promises a breakthrough for recovering minerals and is transitioning from academic theory to industry-backed technical trials to validate its technology and economics. 3. CONCLUSION The complete elimination of mine tailings is a difficult endeavor, where many challenges and knowledge gaps remain, especially in dealing with the complexity from multiple commodities, minerals, geographies, and operational legacies. This paper has presented a range of technologies to address technical challenges, however, new ways of working are also required. For greenfield opportunities, operations should evaluate technologies to reject waste early and minimize water use, and develop a portfolio of technologies for inclusion during initial mine design and planning. However, capital projects favor risk minimization and leave little to no room for innovation, so this will require a new approach and mindset for derisking of these technologies. Tailings management at legacy and brownfield expansion sites will require a technology portfolio that brings opportunities to increase value and recovery from all of the ore and waste. The challenge lies in achieving economic scale up of promising technologies, and industry collaboration will be key, with sharing of costs, knowledge, and data, ultimately benefitting the entire sector and impacted communities.
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