Highlights

• Dr. Sait Kursunoglu's research reveals mine tailings as a critical secondary source for strategic metals, including rare earth elements, lithium, and cobalt.
• Advanced technologies like hydrometallurgy and molecular recognition now enable the extraction of over 70% of valuable metals from previously discarded mining waste.
• Reprocessing mine waste offers economic benefits, a lower carbon footprint, and reduced environmental rehabilitation costs, while enhancing global mineral independence.

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Dr. Sait Kursunoglu’s 2025 review in Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy (opens in a new tab) presents a comprehensive case for transforming tailings into clean energy feedstock.

In a groundbreaking review published June 2, 2025, in the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy, lead author Dr. Sait Kursunoglu of Batman University (Turkey) makes a compelling case for the large-scale recovery of critical and strategic metals—especially rare earth elements (REEs)—from mine and mineral processing tailings.

The central hypothesis is that, with declining grades of primary ore, escalating demand for green technologies, and China's dominance over REE supply chains, tailings and other mining residues must be treated as viable secondary resources for strategic metals such as neodymium, dysprosium, lithium, cobalt, and antimony.

Buried Treasure in Toxic Trash: Mine Waste Is the New Gold Rush

Think tailings are just toxic junk? Think again. The leftover sludge from copper, silver, tungsten, and gold mines is laced with economically recoverable rare earth elements (REEs) and critical metals. That’s right—yesterday’s waste is today’s weapon in the global minerals arms race.

Thanks to next-gen tech like hydrometallurgy, solvent extraction, and the sci-fi-sounding Molecular Recognition Technology (MRT), we can now surgically extract high-value metals from the very muck we used to dump and forget. The tools are here. The market is hungry. The only question is: who’s moving fast enough to cash in?

Even coal gangue and acid mine drainage (AMD)—the poster children for industrial pollution—are turning out to be secret treasure chests. Inside? Recoverable lithium, gallium, aluminum, and REEs just waiting to be liberated by a smarter breed of engineers and financiers.

Pilot projects are already extracting over 70% of critical metals from these “waste” streams using cutting-edge acid leaching and bioleaching—yes, microbes are now involved in mining.

And the kicker? Reprocessing this waste doesn’t just pay—it saves. Lower carbon footprints, reduced rehab costs, and a big green checkmark for circular economy compliance.

Conclusion: The tailings dam is no longer a toxic liability—it’s a strategic vault. And whoever unlocks it first wins the next decade of energy, tech, and industrial independence.

Relevance to Today:

With supply chains disrupted by Chinese export restrictions and environmental scrutiny intensifying around new mining projects, Dr. Kursunoglu’s findings could significantly reshape global sourcing strategies. Europe, the U.S., and allied nations with large mine-waste inventories must now evaluate tailings not as waste, but as strategic assets.

His work reinforces Rare Earth Exchanges’ ongoing position: waste recovery and reprocessing are central to securing clean energy supply chains and reducing dependence on geopolitical adversaries.  However, we need an industrial policy with substantial investments in smart technology.

Source: Kursunoglu, S., “A Review on the Recovery of Critical Metals from Mine and Mineral Processing Tailings,” Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy (2025), https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-025-01126-y (opens in a new tab)