Toward a more sustainable mining future with electrokinetic in situ leaching.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33931456.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abf9971 and PMC identifier 8087414.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
Metals are currently almost exclusively extracted from their ore via physical excavation. This energy-intensive process dictates that metal mining remains among the foremost CO<sub>2</sub> emitters and mine waste is the single largest waste form by mass. We propose a new approach, electrokinetic in situ leaching (EK-ISL), and demonstrate its applicability for a Cu-bearing sulfidic porphyry ore. In laboratory-scale experiments, Cu recovery was rapid (up to 57 weight % after 94 days) despite low ore hydraulic conductivity (permeability = 6.1 mD; porosity = 10.6%). Multiphysics numerical model simulations confirm the feasibility of EK-ISL at the field scale. This new approach to mining is therefore poised to spearhead a new paradigm of metal recovery from currently inaccessible ore bodies with a markedly reduced environmental footprint.