Papua New Guinea mine tailings could be source of critical minerals, but economics pose hurdle

Mining waste in Papua New Guinea, including tailings from sites like Lihir, may hold recoverable quantities of copper, nickel, and other battery metals considered critical by the United States. However, the commercial viability of extracting these resources is hampered by the scale of operations and associated costs, according to a US-based researcher.

Aaron Goodman, a geochemist at the Colorado School of Mines, explained that the initial step involves characterizing the waste to understand the quantity and form of the elements present. While some elements, like rare earths, can be difficult to extract due to their stable mineral forms, Goodman noted that copper, nickel, tellurium, and antimony are often found in more accessible phases. He expressed confidence that the waste rock in the region could indeed serve as a source of critical minerals, even offering to analyze PNG samples.

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Not only how much is there, but what are the forms that it’s in, what specific minerals is it held in?

The primary obstacle, Goodman stated, is economic feasibility. While laboratory methods can successfully recover metals on a small scale, the economics often do not align when considering large-scale industrial operations. To address this, the Colorado School of Mines employs experts in mineral economics and houses an Institute for Extractive Metallurgy dedicated to scaling up extraction technologies. The potential for recovering critical minerals from PNG's mine waste remains, but significant economic and logistical hurdles must be overcome.

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often times the math doesn’t work out