remining

Remining is the re-extraction of minerals from land that has already been mined. This includes processing mine tailings, waste dumps, and stockpiles, and in some cases revisiting abandoned underground workings. The goal is to recover remaining valuable metals and to address legacy environmental liabilities by stabilizing or repurposing previous waste material.

Remining can be driven by higher commodity prices, advances in processing technology, or the incentive to reduce environmental risks associated with old mine sites. Tailings and dumps may retain economically recoverable minerals that were not feasible to extract with past methods, and improvements in grinding, flotation, gravity concentration, and leaching have increased potential recoveries.

Common remining approaches involve reprocessing tailings with modern processing circuits to liberate fine particles, applying gravity methods for coarse material, and using various leaching techniques. Projects may also target near-mine or adjacent ore that was not exploited previously due to limits in ore grades or mining methods. Successful remining depends on thorough characterization of the waste material, hydrological and geotechnical assessment, and careful integration with existing mine plans.

Environmental and regulatory considerations are central to remining. Plans typically address water management, prevention of acid mine drainage, dust control, and the long-term stability of waste piles. Many remining operations require environmental impact assessments, permits, and closure or reclamation commitments. While remining can improve resource recovery and contribute to site rehabilitation, it also introduces risks that must be managed through robust engineering, monitoring, and governance.