EU remains almost completely dependent on external sources for many critical raw materials (CRM) and other raw materials (RM). To reduce this dependence, the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), has been enacted by EU, represents a strategic framework aimed at addressing the growing demand for CRM and reducing dependency on non-EU sources.
In this framework, adopting a circular economy model has become essential to ensure resource sustainability, and the research focused on waste reuse and recycling is critical to support this effort.
Waste generated by mining (both current and past), quarrying, and subsequent processing steps poses a variety of problems ranging from landscape and land use degradation to soil pollution and water, with repercussions on the biosphere. Therefore, in a circular economy context, it is essential to consider these materials not as waste but as potential resources, to help mitigate negative effects and also contribute to a sustainable supply of resources. Indeed, these types of wastes contain substantial quantities of residual minerals, including CRM, and have the potential to become valuable mineral resources. Advances in innovative and technological processes now allow us to reduce, reuse and recycle these residues, promoting more sustainable exploitation practices. Beyond this, there are additional challenges associated with the exploration, characterization, recovery, reprocessing and testing of these recovered materials. Furthermore, it is crucial to develop realistic models for extractive waste to accurately assess the prospects for sustainable use.
The present session welcomes contributions on the following topics:
- Characterization of extractive waste, their interaction with the environment, and degradation processes.
- Development of technologies for exploration, extraction, and reprocessing of minerals within the context of extractive waste.
- Solutions for valorising extractive waste, with a focus on critical raw materials supply.
- Strategies for sustainable management of extractive waste.
- Tools and methodologies for environmental monitoring and risk assessment in active and inactive sites.
- Certification and Eco-label for products arising from extractive waste exploitation and processing
- The role of economists, social scientists, legal experts and psychologists for a sustainable and accepted exploitation of extractive waste (and of mining activities at large)