A new analysis published in the journal Science reveals that the United States already has all the critical minerals needed for various industries, including energy and defense. However, these valuable minerals are being discarded as tailings of other mineral streams. The challenge lies in recovering them, says Elizabeth Holley, lead author of the study.
Holley’s team built a database of annual production from federally permitted metal mines in the US and paired it with geochemical concentrations of critical minerals. Their analysis shows that even small increases in recovery – just 1% for certain minerals like germanium – could meet industry demands.
The findings highlight the potential benefits of enhanced recovery, including economic, geopolitical, and environmental advantages. Recovering these critical minerals instead of sending them to tailings piles would reduce mine waste and open opportunities for reuse in construction.
However, the market value of these elements may not be sufficient to motivate operators to invest in new equipment and processes without the right policies in place. To address this, Holley’s team recommends detailed analyses of minerals and testing of technologies suitable for recovery from specific minerals.
The analysis also found that unrecovered byproducts from other US mines could meet the demand for all but two – platinum and palladium – for critical minerals used in applications such as consumer electronics, medical devices, satellites, and renewable energy.
Source: https://www.minesnewsroom.com/news/us-already-has-critical-minerals-it-needs-theyre-being-thrown-away-new-analysis-shows