Materials handling


Waste not, want not


The global supply chain crisis has caused diffi culties across the mining industry, but it also has woken some players up to the potential value in their waste, mineral sludge and tailings. Nikki Peach speaks to Pernille Erland Jensen, associate professor in the department of civil engineering at Technical University of Denmark (DTU), to learn more about the different ways industry leaders can extract value from the previously thought valueless, and how this can reduce environmental impact while increasing profi t for companies involved.


C


oncrete – an ancient resource that paves our streets, binds our buildings together and builds bridges between them – is the second most used material in the world, after only water. But at what cost? The most minor, but arguably the most important part of concrete – cement – is becoming increasingly expensive and harmful to the environment. As the world grows increasingly


concerned with sustainability and decarbonisation, it’s in everyone’s best interest to reduce the amount of cement we use in concrete production. The future of concrete, from how it’s mined to how it’s used, is not as solid as the substance itself. To pick someone’s brain about their research when the outcome is yet to be determined, you must understand the art of trial and error. With


World Mining Frontiers / www.nsenergybusiness.com


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RONEDYA / Shutterstock.com


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