Use material already deposited.
In tailings projects, the goal is to use material already extracted and deposited, which is a liability today. The effect on that liability depends on characterization and on management of the remaining residue.
Environmental objectives, evaluated per project.
Recovering metal is not the same as recovering a site. The environmental effects of each project depend on material characterization, residue management and the required environmental studies, and are evaluated case by case.
Objectives
What we pursue in each project.
Manage the remaining residue.
All processing generates residue, including tailings reprocessing. Its disposal, stability and monitoring are part of the project from the assessment stage.
Cyanide-free gold.
On the gold route, the process does not use cyanide. The chemistry is selected for each material, and the absence of cyanide does not remove other impacts, such as water and energy use and effluent generation, which are assessed in each project.
New mining, with its own licensing.
On low-grade deposits, the operation is new mining: it generates its own tailings and requires environmental studies and licensing like any mine.
How we assess
Environmental questions from the first stage.
Environmental aspects are part of the assessment alongside technical and economic ones. In each project we consider:
- Residue characterization: composition, stability and potential for acid drainage or other effluents.
- Water and energy use of the proposed processing route.
- Disposal and monitoring of the remaining residue.
- Licensing requirements and studies required by local regulation.
The results of these analyses are part of the technical and economic evaluation delivered to the asset owner.
References
Industry reference standards.
Green Mining uses recognized industry standards as references, including the ICMM (International Council on Mining and Metals) principles, GISTM (Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management) and the IFC Performance Standards. How each standard applies is defined per project and documented in the technical material.
Scope
What the operation does not solve on its own.
Metal recovery does not remove the entire environmental liability: a residual remains, in volume and composition, depending on the original asset. The operation does not replace licensing, regulation and local governance, and does not present itself as a solution to the sector's historical liabilities. What each project delivers is defined and measured within that project.