Sustainable Management of Georesources: From Mining and Mine Tailings to Waste Recycling

Dear Colleagues,

(https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/infographic/2019/02/26/climate-smart-mining)

The global transition toward low-carbon technologies and climate-resilient infrastructure is driving unprecedented demand for critical and strategic minerals. While mining remains essential for meeting this demand, it also presents significant sustainability challenges, particularly concerning high energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, and environmental risks. Among these, Mine Tailings Storage Facilities (TSFs) have emerged as a central concern due to their potential geotechnical instability, environmental impact, and legacy management issues.

This Special Issue—Sustainable Management of Georesources: From Mining and Mine Tailings to Waste Recycling—seeks to address these multifaceted challenges by promoting integrative and innovative solutions throughout the mining value chain. This issue aims to highlight cutting-edge research on the sustainable extraction, processing, and utilization of georesources, with a strong emphasis on reducing the material and carbon footprint of mining operations. Topics include, but are not limited to, the application of low-carbon technologies, reprocessing of tailings and mine waste, geotechnical and seismic stability assessment of TSFs, recycling critical minerals and e-waste, AI-based monitoring systems, and lifecycle-based design of sustainable mining systems. Furthermore, it will address techno-economic modeling, digital innovation, and policy frameworks that support responsible mining and circular economy practices.

By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge dissemination, this Special Issue will serve as a comprehensive platform for researchers, engineers, and decision-makers to explore solutions that enable sustainable resource use, minimize environmental liabilities, and ensure the long-term social acceptance of mining activities. Contributions are particularly encouraged from researchers working in or on resource-rich developing economies, where the need for sustainable and resilient mining systems is most urgent.

This Special Issue will focus on current and future development in decarbonizing high materials and carbon footprint processes. This includes innovation in energy and emission reduction, design manufacturing for recycling, and reuse. The keywords for the recommended topics are given below. This issue will build on existing knowledge in the literature and report on advances in the field.

(1) Scope and Purpose of the Special Issue

Focus
This Special Issue, “Sustainable Management of Georesources: From Mining and Mine Tailings to Waste Recycling”, centers on the sustainable, safe, and efficient management of georesources throughout the entire mining value chain—from resource extraction and mineral processing to tailings management, recycling, and mine closure. A particular emphasis is placed on Mine Tailings Storage Facilities (TSFs), which represent a critical component of mine waste management and pose substantial geotechnical, environmental, and socio-economic risks if not responsibly managed.

Scope
This issue will encompass multidisciplinary research and innovations across the following areas:

• Climate-smart mining practices and circular economy frameworks;
• Sustainable extraction and processing of critical minerals and metals;
• Geotechnical stability and seismic resilience of TSFs;
• Advanced monitoring, modeling, and risk assessment methods for TSFs;
• Tailings reprocessing and valorization of mining waste;
• Integration of low-carbon technologies and energy-efficient solutions in mining;
• Innovations in waste recycling, e-waste processing, and critical element recovery;
• Digital technologies, automation, and AI applications in georesource management;
• Life cycle analysis (LCA), techno-economic assessments (TEA), and policy perspectives;
• Sustainable mine closure, rehabilitation, and post-mining land use strategies.

Purpose
The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide a timely and comprehensive platform for addressing the urgent need for sustainable practices in the mining and metallurgical sectors. In the face of increasing demand for critical raw materials required for the global energy transition, it is essential to balance mineral production with environmental and societal responsibilities. By focusing on TSFs, this issue also seeks to elevate the importance of safe, resilient, and innovative tailings management strategies as a cornerstone of sustainable mining. It encourages submissions from researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers working at the intersection of mining engineering, geotechnical science, metallurgy, circular economy, and sustainability.

(2) Relation to Existing Literature

This Special Issue aims to complement and expand upon the existing literature by

• Bridging the gap between theoretical research and practical applications in tailings and waste management.
• Offering new insights into the design, monitoring, and rehabilitation of TSFs, addressing recent failures and lessons learned globally.
• Integrating the themes of industrial decarbonization, eco-efficient processing, and critical element recovery into mainstream georesource studies.
• Advancing the current state of knowledge on digital innovations, AI-based predictive modeling, and remote sensing applications for geomechanical risk mitigation.
• Promoting cross-disciplinary dialogue among mining engineers, environmental scientists, sustainability researchers, and policymakers.

By bringing together recent advancements in sustainability science, geotechnical engineering, and process metallurgy, this issue aims to chart a more resilient, environmentally responsible, and economically viable path forward for resource-rich regions and emerging economies alike.

Dr. Sheila Devasahayam
Dr. John Samuel Thella
Dr. Mohammadali Sepehri
Dr. Sela Akdag
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• climate smart mining
• green economy
• hydrogen economy
• industrial decarbonization, e.g., green steel, cement/concrete decarbonization, hydrogen iron making, eco-communication, critical elements recovery, energy storage, recycling, e-wastes energy and water nexus
• digital innovation
• technoeconomic modeling
• battery recycling
• automotive wastes
• life cycle analysis
• nuclear energy
• safety protocols
• carbon utilization
• catalysts for clean energy production
• waste heat recovery
• nano-materials
• sustainable mining
• mine tailings management
• critical mineral recovery
• geotechnical risks and stability
• mine closure and rehabilitation
• tailings reprocessing
• mine tailings storage facilities (TSFs)
• sustainable mining
• climate-smart mining
• circular economy
• critical minerals
• tailings reprocessing
• geotechnical stability
• seismic risk in TSFs
• life cycle assessment (LCA)
• techno-economic assessment (TEA)
• green metallurgy
• industrial decarbonization
• battery and e-waste recycling
• digital mining technologies
• artificial intelligence in geomechanics
• sustainable mine closure
• sustainable georesource management
• mine waste valorization
• hydrogen-based ironmaking
• environmental risk assessment
• eco-efficient comminution
• rare earth elements
• energy storage materials
• heat energy storage systems
• low-carbon technologies