Recovering $20 Billion in Metals Without a New Mine

As the world moves towards a low-carbon economy, mining plays a critical role in providing the minerals and metals needed to produce renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries. 

But the energy transition poses a problem…

According to Mark Mills of the Manhattan Institute, for all the metals produced that go into one Tesla, 250,000 kg of waste material is produced from mining. In addition to this waste, there are potentially billions worth of metals thrown out with this waste. Every year in North America, $20 billion worth of metals are lost in tailings ponds.

That is why Vikramaditya Yadav founded Tersa Earth, a new company that is dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of mining waste and recovering the valuable and essential metals left behind, improving the mining industry’s environmental and financial bottom lines. 

Mining’s Waste Problem

According to research by Daniel Franks, there are currently 44.5 billion m3 of tailings currently stored by the facilities with ~13 million tons added each year. His survey of tailings facilities only covered 1,743 facilities which represented only 36% of contemporary global commodity production.

The sheer scale of the issue is massive and often out of sight and out of mind, until it is too late. The mining industry generates huge quantities of waste every year, and the long-term impacts of this waste can be difficult to predict or mitigate. 

The amount and type of waste generated by mining operations can vary widely depending on the type of mineral being mined, the mining method used, and other factors. 

Some of the most common types of mining waste include tailings (which are the waste materials left over after ore has been extracted from the rock), waste rock (which is the rock that must be removed to access the ore), and mine water (which can contain a range of pollutants).

If mining waste is not managed properly, it can lead to a number of environmental problems, including soil and water contamination, acid mine drainage, and habitat destruction. These impacts can have negative effects on local ecosystems and wildlife, as well as on the health and well-being of nearby communities.

Without improved mining remediation technology, Tersa estimates that over 75 trillion litres of acid rock drainage will be produced globally by 2040. 

Making the Most of Mining Waste

Tersa Earth Solutions has pioneered a technology that allows nature to heal itself. It has a patented carbon-neutral solution for remediating mining waste and recovering metals which will unlock new value and reduce the carbon footprint of mining operations.

Tailing ponds reclamation is the process of restoring and reclaiming mining sites where tailings ponds have been created. Tailings ponds are large basins that store the waste materials, called tailings, that are generated during mining operations.

Today, status quo approaches to remediation mean high emissions, environmental risk, and lost value in unrecovered wastewater metals. Tersa’s award-winning laboratory team has developed a patented treatment process.

Tersa uses nature’s processes to create an all-in-one solution for metal recovery, water treatment, and carbon abatement. The company has developed a unique microbial fuel cell to eat toxic compounds and then break them down as fuel to produce metal that is lost due to acid rock drainage. 

This process is not just environmentally friendly but it also helps a mining company’s bottom line. In one study conducted by Tersa, they were able to increase metal recovery from waste by 20% and take tailings water and turn it into potable water. 

Tersa is not alone in addressing this problem, it is attracting the interest of mainstream investment funds and companies. 

Jetti Resources LLC, a copper-mining extraction company backed by some of the world’s biggest producers including BHP, raised funds at a valuation of $2.5 billion as it seeks to address mining’s waste problem. The company developed a pioneering process for copper extraction that utilises previously unused ore from existing copper mines.

Mining waste problem is only going to increase as declining quality of mineral deposits means more waste.  

 For more information, contact: alp@boraconsulting.ca