✅ Waste in Mining: Traditional binary view of waste in mining is changing. Material sent to dumps or tailings facilities often contains economic minerals.

✅ Economic Cutoff Grade: Decisions based on economic cutoff grade at the moment of mining can change due to varying factors.

✅ Global Mineral Strategy: The World Bank's projection of needing 500% more minerals by 2050 prompts the search for alternative ways to meet demand.

In this episode 170 of "Failing to Success", Mary-Anne Hildebrandt, Resource Geology Manager at Moneta Gold, discusses the changing perception of waste in mining. Traditionally, waste has been seen as binary, but it often contains economic minerals. Decisions on waste are based on economic cutoff grades, which may change over time. Hildebrandt explains the global need for 500% more minerals by 2050 and highlights the role of existing tailings facilities in bridging the gap. Geoscientists can play a pivotal role in identifying economic materials and proposing strategies for their extraction. However, current mining closure plans could hinder future reprocessing efforts, necessitating a shift in how mining sites are closed to preserve potential resources.

‍

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:20 Wasted Generated by Mining

00:01:37 The Global Objective

00:05:18 The Economics

00:12:58 Remapping Global Mineral Deposits

00:14:19 Contact Mary-Anne