this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2026
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Reclamation - restoring disturbed lands

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A place to discuss and learn about the restoration of disturbed lands to desirable end land uses

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Mine tailings represent one of the world's largest industrial waste streams, with billions of tonnes generated annually and substantial environmental liabilities associated with long-term storage, abandoned mine sites, and acid mine drainage. This review evaluated approximately 90 publications to examine current advancements in the recycling and reuse of mine tailings and related mining wastes, with a focus on their environmental, technical, and economic implications. The literature indicates that waste minimization remains the preferred management strategy; however, reuse and recycling offer significant opportunities to reduce tailings inventories while recovering value from previously discarded materials. The most mature applications involve the construction sector, where tailings have been incorporated into concrete, cement, bricks, road materials, and mine backfill. Agricultural and soil amendment applications have also shown promise, particularly where tailings contain beneficial mineral constituents capable of improving soil structure, reducing erosion, or supplying nutrients. Additionally, advances in metallurgical processing have increased interest in reprocessing historical tailings deposits to recover residual metals such as copper, iron, zinc, and gold. Despite these opportunities, widespread implementation remains constrained by geochemical variability, metal leaching risks, acid-generation potential, transportation costs, and regulatory requirements. The review concludes that while mine-tailing reuse and recycling cannot fully replace sound waste management practices, they represent important components of a circular economy approach that can reduce environmental liabilities, conserve natural resources, and create additional value streams from mining operations

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