Materiały konferencyjne SEP 2025

Szkoła Eksploatacji Podziemnej 2025, Materiały Konferencyjne Rare Earth Elements recovery from mining waste – possibili- ties and challenges Katarzyna Grzesik AGH University of Krakow ABSTRACT: Rare earth elements (REEs) are critical raw materials essential to the European economy and modern technologies, yet their supply is at risk due to China's dominance in pri- mary production. The ENVIREE project explored alternative sources, identifying promising secondary REE sources in Europe: gold enrichment waste from New Kankberg (Sweden) and tungsten mining waste from Covas (Portugal). Pilot-scale enrichment technologies were devel- oped. For New Kankberg case beneficiation included: flotation and magnetic separation; for Covas: gravity separation followed by magnetic separation. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted to evaluate environmental impacts. The key difference between the sites lies in material origin—New Kankberg processes tailings come from an active gold facility, while Covas reprocesses decades-old tungsten waste. LCA results highlighted environmental trade- offs, emphasizing the importance of sustainable resource management. KEY WORDS: Rare Earth Elements (REEs), mining waste, recovery, beneficiation, environ- mental impact, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) 1. INTRODUCTION Rare-earth elements (REE) consist of 15 elements with atomic numbers ranging from 57 (lanthanum) to 71 (lutetium). collectively known as the lanthanides. Additionally. yttrium (atomic number 39) is commonly classified as an REEs due to its similar chemical and physical properties. Although REEs are not rare in terms of their average abundance in Earth's crust. concentrated deposits suitable for extraction are relatively scarce [1]. REEs are becoming increasingly important due to their exceptional chemical. physical. catalytic. luminescent. and magnetic properties. which make them essential in industries such as electronics. renewable energy production. military industry. optics. automotive. agriculture. medicine. The glass industry is the largest consumer of REEs raw materials. using them for glass polishing and as additives that enhance colour and optical properties. Lanthanum-based catalysts play a key role in petroleum refining. while cerium-based catalysts are essential in automotive catalytic converters. The demand for REEs in magnet production is rapidly