Sustainable mining in tropical, biodiverse landscapes: Environmental challenges and opportunities in the archipelagic Philippines

The rising demand for critical metals presents a major economic opportunity for mineral-rich countries. For a sustainable transition to a low-carbon future, it is essential to minimise impacts of mineral resource development to the environment, ecosystems, and societies of these nations. Although there has been considerable progress in the social aspects of the mining sector, environmental metrics are not showing comparable improvement. The Philippines exemplifies this challenge as a country that aims to conserve its exceptional biodiversity to maximise ecosystem services while expanding mining activities for economic growth, in a geographical setting with high mineral potential and vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. Similar to many mining areas, environmental baselines are mostly non-existent, compounded by a legacy of mining impacts despite an established policy framework. We review issues associated with large- and small-scale mining and identify underlying research challenges and opportunities in the Philippines. Potential environmental research pathways include (i) innovative approaches for catchment scale characterisation and identification of contaminant sources; (ii) quantifying and predicting contaminant transport; (iii) deployment of flexible monitoring devices for larger-scale water quality monitoring programmes; (iv) tailings dam monitoring and management; and (v) resource assessment and metal recovery in ores and tailings. By integrating geomorphological tools with geochemical data, as well as 2D/3D numerical modelling techniques, it becomes possible to predict and understand the behaviour and fate of contaminants across different spatial and temporal scales. The development of cost-effective water quality assessment devices and protocols can help overcome logistical challenges in monitoring a wider range of hydrological conditions. Advanced applications of remote sensing, combined with machine learning, and geophysical monitoring systems provide new opportunities to detect mining footprints and observe change in tailings dams more effectively. Potential impacts of mine wastes can be further minimised by exploring innovative technologies such as the use of metal-accumulating native plant species and environmentally safe solvents to reprocess modern and legacy tailings. Insights from these pathways will enable the realisation of a more sustainable mining future, through the incorporation of findings into existing and future governmental and small- and large-scale mining policy and practice. This will lead to sustainable development for society, particularly in nations that are well positioned to benefit from sustainable mineral resource development

Key ore textures influencing separation behaviour of ores

Ore texture displays the fundamental ore properties that significantly influences processing behavior of ores. Of all texture characteristics, mineral grain size and mineral association are expected to have the greatest influence. These textural features can be used to predict the separation performance of ores. To obtain such micro-scale textural information is costly and time-consuming to be applicable to the entire deposit. Recent work has shown the contribution of vein-type mineralization in the separation behavior of ores. Since veins can be identified during core logging, it provides a cost-effective means of acquiring textural information relevant to mineral processing for the entire deposit. This can then improve geometallurgical characterization of separation performance, providing better understanding of separation variability within the deposit

The role of vein-type mineralisation in mineral liberation

This paper provides a further investigation of the role of vein structures in the ease of mineral liberation by random masking simulation of breakage. A copper porphyry ore with vein-type mineralisation underwent different methods of sample preparation for liberation analysis. A selected core was cut into semicircular slabs and another core underwent crushing. The slabs and the crushed particles were analysed in the MLA and subjected to simulated breakage from which the liberation of sulphides was determined. The result was linked with the liberation measured from particles of the same ore that have undergone actual breakage. The analysis further provided an indication of the significant contribution of veins in liberation. This information points out to a proper approach of texture and liberation analyses, and the better use of textural data from core scale logging relevant to mineral processing

An integrated approach of predicting metallurgical performance relating to variability in deposit characteristics

An integrated approach that is applicable to existing operations and early stage of mining project such as prefeasibility and feasibility studies is developed to asses deposit variability and its influence on metallurgical performance. The approach is based on linking the techniques of geometallurgy and circuit simulation. It allows better understanding of deposit variability, effective selection of drill core samples from the deposit, quick and efficient prediction of metallurgical performance, and provides more knowledge to a holistic approach of circuit and tailings design and optimisation in prefeasibility/feasibility stage. A case study is performed on Finney's Hill to demonstrate the approach. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Toward Closing a Loophole: Recovering Rare Earth Elements from Uranium Metallurgical Process Tailings

Rare earth elements are increasingly required for use in modern high-tech components, and primary production is necessary to meet the demand. Reprocessing legacy metallurgical tailings is advantageous, as the material has already been mined, beneficiated, upgraded, and contained in a single accessible location. The Mary Kathleen uranium process tailings in Queensland, Australia, provides an opportunity for this. The geology and historic process methods for the Mary Kathleen uranium mine are described along with known characteristics of the tailings material. Conventional and alternative REE processing options are reviewed, including phyto-extraction and other bio-technologies. Approaches to determining the appropriate pathway forward for Mary Kathleen tailings are then discussed

Sustainable mining in tropical, biodiverse landscapes: environmental challenges and opportunities in the archipelagic Philippines

The rising demand for critical metals presents a major economic opportunity for mineral-rich countries. For a sustainable transition to a low-carbon future it is essential to minimise impacts of mineral resource development to the environment, ecosystems, and societies of these nations. Although there has been considerable progress in the social aspects of the mining sector, environmental metrics are not showing comparable improvement. The Philippines exemplifies this challenge as a country that aims to conserve its exceptional biodiversity to maximise ecosystem services while expanding mining activities for economic growth, in a geographical setting with high mineral potential and vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. Similar to many mining areas, environmental baselines are mostly non-existent, compounded by a legacy of mining impacts despite an established policy framework. We review issues associated with large- and small-scale mining and identify underlying research challenges and opportunities in the Philippines. Potential environmental research pathways include (i) innovative approaches for catchment scale characterisation and identification of contaminant sources; (ii) quantifying and predicting contaminant transport; (iii) deployment of flexible monitoring devices for larger-scale water quality monitoring programmes; (iv) tailings dam monitoring and management; and (v) resource assessment and metal recovery in ores and tailings. By integrating geomorphological tools with geochemical data, as well as 2D/3D numerical modelling techniques, it becomes possible to predict and understand the behaviour and fate of contaminants across different spatial and temporal scales. The development of cost-effective water quality assessment devices and protocols can help overcome logistical challenges in monitoring a wider range of hydrological conditions. Advanced applications of remote sensing, combined with machine learning, and geophysical monitoring systems provide new opportunities to detect mining footprints and observe change in tailings dams more effectively. Potential impacts of mine wastes can be further minimised by exploring innovative technologies such as the use of metal-accumulating native plant species and environmentally safe solvents to reprocess modern and legacy tailings. Insights from these pathways will enable the realisation of a more sustainable mining future, through the incorporation of findings into existing and future governmental and small- and large-scale mining policy and practice. This will lead to sustainable development for society, particularly in nations that are well positioned to benefit from sustainable mineral resource development

Sustainable mining in tropical, biodiverse landscapes: Environmental challenges and opportunities in the archipelagic Philippines

The rising demand for critical metals presents a major economic opportunity for mineral-rich countries. For a sustainable transition to a low-carbon future, it is essential to minimise impacts of mineral resource development to the environment, ecosystems, and societies of these nations. Although there has been considerable progress in the social aspects of the mining sector, environmental metrics are not showing comparable improvement. The Philippines exemplifies this challenge as a country that aims to conserve its exceptional biodiversity to maximise ecosystem services while expanding mining activities for economic growth, in a geographical setting with high mineral potential and vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. Similar to many mining areas, environmental baselines are mostly non-existent, compounded by a legacy of mining impacts despite an established policy framework. We review issues associated with large- and small-scale mining and identify underlying research challenges and opportunities in the Philippines. Potential environmental research pathways include (i) innovative approaches for catchment scale characterisation and identification of contaminant sources; (ii) quantifying and predicting contaminant transport; (iii) deployment of flexible monitoring devices for larger-scale water quality monitoring programmes; (iv) tailings dam monitoring and management; and (v) resource assessment and metal recovery in ores and tailings. By integrating geomorphological tools with geochemical data, as well as 2D/3D numerical modelling techniques, it becomes possible to predict and understand the behaviour and fate of contaminants across different spatial and temporal scales. The development of cost-effective water quality assessment devices and protocols can help overcome logistical challenges in monitoring a wider range of hydrological conditions. Advanced applications of remote sensing, combined with machine learning, and geophysical monitoring systems provide new opportunities to detect mining footprints and observe change in tailings dams more effectively. Potential impacts of mine wastes can be further minimised by exploring innovative technologies such as the use of metal-accumulating native plant species and environmentally safe solvents to reprocess modern and legacy tailings. Insights from these pathways will enable the realisation of a more sustainable mining future, through the incorporation of findings into existing and future governmental and small- and large-scale mining policy and practice. This will lead to sustainable development for society, particularly in nations that are well positioned to benefit from sustainable mineral resource development.</p