By Fidelis Zvomuya

 

JOHANNESBURG, 09 Dec. - (ANA) - Mining firms in South Africa say extracting minerals from tailings is a sustainable way to boost global supplies, but local communities want to see benefits this time around,

 

Besides the dust that cloaks pathways, windowsills and gardens, the towering grey heaps of discarded rock are another unwelcome reminder of the platinum mine next door to the South African township of Chaneng.

 

In and around the city of Rustenburg, the low-grade platinum ore that has made South Africa the world’s top producer of the silvery metal creates massive waste piled in large rocky heaps known as tailings. For every tonne of metal extracted, hundreds of tonnes of waste rock is left behind in huge piles.

 

The transition to cleaner energy system is expected to push up global demand for platinum group metals (PGM) – which include palladium and other precious metals, as well as platinum. They are used in hydrogen-related technologies such as fuel cells and electrolysers that split water molecules as well as in hybrid cars that need catalytic converters to curb pollution.

 

To secure supplies, mining companies are starting to make use of what was once considered waste.

 

Reprocessing mine tailings using new technology can be a more sustainable form of producing minerals and metals needed for the energy transition because it is expected to reduce the size of existing waste heaps and boost output without the need to open new mines, which can cause more environmental destruction and community displacement.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/09 December 2025 - - -