Study reviews recycling mine tailings into sustainable construction materials

A review in npj Materials Sustainability examined transforming mine tailings into cementitious and alkali-activated concrete as a circular-economy construction solution. The findings offer a locally sourced material alternative particularly significant for resource-constrained Global South regions managing mine waste.

Published in npj Materials Sustainability, the review critically examines studies on utilizing mine tailings in cementitious and alkali-activated concrete, covering physicochemical properties, mineralogy, activation, performance, toxicity, and sustainability. Tailings, the residual by-products of mining generated in massive quantities globally, pose significant environmental and social risks. Transforming them into valuable construction materials offers a pathway to reduce pollution, conserve resources, and promote a circular economy. The review emphasizes understanding fundamental characteristics and multiple utilization channels to optimize engineering performance and advance industrialization.

Mining communities and construction sectors in the Global South are most affected, where access to traditional materials like cement and aggregates can be limited and costly, making tailings a valuable locally sourced alternative reducing external-resource reliance. Improperly managed tailings cause water and soil contamination, so transforming them into stable construction materials can help remediate contaminated sites. A tailings-based construction industry can generate employment and stimulate economic growth in mining communities, linking waste management to local economic development and environmental remediation.

Practitioners should carefully characterize the physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of tailings to optimize performance and minimize environmental risks before deployment. Activation methods and processing techniques must be selected to ensure environmental and economic sustainability, with attention to long-term durability, toxicity, and life-cycle environmental impacts. The study calls for a holistic approach reflecting the specific Global South context and urges collaborative efforts through increased investment in research and development, technology transfer, and policy support to enable responsible, sustainable utilization of mine tailings in construction.

Key figure — Material focus: mine tailings reused in cementitious and alkali-activated concrete production