Mine waste refers to the solid and liquid residues generated during mineral exploration, extraction, beneficiation, and refining, including waste rock, tailings, slag, and process effluents. As a research topic, it encompasses the characterization of mineralogical and geochemical composition, contaminant speciation and mobility (e.g., metals, metalloids, acid mine drainage), and physical behavior such as stability and erosion. Studies focus on environmental impacts on soil, water, and biota, risk assessment, and development of mitigation and remediation strategies, including covers, treatment systems, and valorization or reuse approaches within circular economy and sustainable mining frameworks.
New research from the University of St Andrews has found that metal production carbon footprints could be more than 10 times higher than previously estimated, with serious implications for the ambition to reach net zero.
Earth Sciences
Jul 22, 2026
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74
New research from Monash University revealed that microscopic life is actively breaking down decades-old mining waste in South Australia, turning stable radioactive and toxic metals into mobile nanoparticles that can easily ...
Environment
Jul 21, 2026
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8
A "superpowered" fungus engineered at The University of Queensland could be used to extract critical minerals from toxic mining waste while also helping to remediate sites. Environmental engineers at UQ's new Biosustainability ...
Biotechnology
Jun 23, 2026
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11
Perched on the bow of his long-tail fishing boat, 75-year-old Sukjai Yana untangled a handful of small fish from his net, disappointed by his catch and fretting over whether he can sell them.
Environment
Apr 29, 2026
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14
Starting just outside Charlotte, North Carolina, a vast underground deposit of lithium stretches south for 25 miles. A key component of rechargeable batteries and energy grid storage systems, the soft, silvery metal is a ...
Environment
Feb 9, 2026
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76
For decades, families in communities around Johannesburg have been living close to huge gold mining waste dumps. For many residents, the dust that is released there is just part of everyday life—but it can contain natural ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 29, 2026
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10
A new University of Virginia study led by environmental scientist Justin Richardson shows that phosphorus pollution driving algae blooms in Virginia's Lake Anna may come from residential areas as well as farms, but a more ...
Environment
Jan 28, 2026
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23
Mining companies worldwide are expanding mineral extraction at existing mines, as the rate of opening new sites slows, to meet global demand driven mainly by the need for clean energy infrastructure.
Environment
Jan 22, 2026
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21
Four years after the Fundão dam collapse—the world's largest mining disaster, which occurred in 2015 in the city of Mariana in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil—a study found that fish in the Doce River were still highly ...
Environment
Dec 19, 2025
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22
Scientists specializing in soil geochemistry, environmental engineering, and health affiliated with the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) in Brazil and the University of Santiago ...
Environment
Dec 19, 2025
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