Developing a Database of Critical Mineral Tailings to support Circularity

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Provides a framework for building a database of mine tailings for geopolymer cement, useful for materials and circular economy researchers.

🏢実務担当者:Mining and construction companies can use the database to identify tailings suitable for low-carbon concrete production, reducing waste and emissions.

🏛政策担当者:Supports policies promoting circular economy and low-carbon construction materials by providing a systematic data infrastructure.

The global transition to low-carbon technologies has significantly increased demand for critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements. They are required for the renewable energy systems, batteries and digital Infrastructure. As the global economies move to decarbonisation, the demand for these critical minerals is increasing rapidly. Mining and mineral processing industries generate a significant amount of waste materials during the extraction of valuable minerals. These waste materials and residues are disposed of in large ponds or landfills known as Tailings Storage Facilities (TSF). These tailings residues can create significant environmental damage if not handled properly with a view to the future. At the same time, carbon emission due the increased building construction and unchecked industrial practices has become an important issue to be addressed. Implementing sustainable practices has become very urgent than ever before. Cement, a primary component of concrete, is the single largest source of carbon emissions globally, during its production contributing around 7-8% of total emissions. One ton of Ordinary Portland cement produces about 0.8 to 0.9 tons of CO2 emissions which results in it being the world’s single largest source of carbon emissions. A sustainable alternative solution to Ordinary Portland Cement in construction is Geopolymer Cement which significantly produces lower carbon emission compared to OPC. As it was found that GPC can be produced using various industrial by-products and critical minerals tailings, which makes it a sustainable option for producing low-carbon cement for the construction industry with a lower carbon emission of 80% (relative to OPC)[30]. This paper is developed with view of a comprehensive database will need to be developed for critical mineral tailings to support low carbon concrete production from geopolymer cement and promote circular economy. The establishment of a comprehensive database of mine tailings is essential for the systematic identification and utilisation of suitable tailings to produce low carbon concrete. The database will be validated with industry partners and the data provided by mining companies.

• semanticscholar https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6909378first seen 2026-06-29 07:30:18