Results of the CINTEM project
This page contains links to articles, theses and other publications related to the results of the CINTEM project.
Materia 4/2025
The Article describes the CINTEM project, which seeks to integrate circular economy principles into mining project planning to reduce waste and improve the utilization of all mineral resources within a deposit. It explains how enhanced geological data, digital deposit models, and new approaches to resource characterization can support higher recovery rates, lower environmental impacts, and more efficient mining operations. It also highlights the development of industrial symbiosis-based business models and international collaboration aimed at creating more sustainable and economically viable mining ecosystems.
Reprocessing tailings to advance circular economy in mining (VTT)
Tailings reprocessing can reduce environmental liabilities while recovering metals and creating new business opportunities. Commercial viability depends on sufficient metal grades and holistic evaluation of metals, by-products, and bulk minerals. Although industry interest is growing, full-scale operations remain rare, constrained by limited knowledge of historical tailings and a continued focus on single target metals.
A circular economy framework for assessing minerals processing concept options (VTT)
This paper introduces a circular economy framework for evaluating minerals processing concepts that improve resource efficiency and reduce waste across mineral value chains. The framework supports holistic process design.
The Economic and Environmental Motivations of Commercial Tailings Reprocessing for Added Value (VTT)
Tailings currently provide only a small share of metals compared with primary mining, and commercial reprocessing remains uncommon despite growing interest. Existing commercial operations typically recover one previously targeted metal, while some pursue other previously unrecovered metals and industrial minerals. Comparable grades to low-grade mines, and diverse business strategies demonstrate that reprocessing can be profitable.
Recovery of copper, manganese, nickel and cobalt from synthetic mine tailings leachate by ion exchange (LUT)
The thesis investigated ion-exchange recovery of copper, manganese, nickel, and cobalt from synthetic mine-tailings leachate using ion exchange. Three chelating resins selectively separated the metals: Purolite® S930Plus recovered copper (22 g Cu/L), Lewatit® MDS TP 260 separated manganese (2.5 g Mn/L), and Lewatit® MDS TP 220 separated nickel (15 g Ni/L). Resulting purities were 98.2% copper, 99.2% manganese, 99.5% nickel, and >99.9% cobalt.