Gold mine: precious metals will be extracted from production waste
Precious metals in Russia are planned to be obtained from industrial waste. Pilot projects will be launched in the Murmansk, Moscow and Tula regions, as well as in Bashkiria. The Agency for Strategic Initiatives and Rusnano will be responsible for their implementation. According to the organizers, the country has accumulated over 100 billion tons of industrial waste, the market equivalent of which, after processing, may exceed 1 trillion rubles. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced its readiness to support companies investing in such projects. Izvestia investigated when this technology can work and what impact it will have on the environment.
Why did they decide to extract precious metals from waste
The Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) and Rusnano, on behalf of the President of Russia, have launched pilot projects to extract rare metals from subsurface use and production waste. It is planned that they will be launched in the Murmansk, Moscow, Tula regions, as well as in Bashkiria. This was reported to Izvestia by the press service of the organizations. We are talking about the reclamation of previously disturbed deposits and the processing of man-made formations (TGS) with the extraction of useful and valuable components from them, including rare and rare earth metals (REM).
The projects are planned to be financed by private investments. Both waste generation companies and external private participants, including those attracted using digital financial instruments, will act as investors.
For example, in Bashkiria, it is planned to recultivate such facilities with the extraction of gold, copper and other useful components. In the republic, it has been proposed to create an experimental legal regime that allows reducing the start-up time for remediation of facilities by passing the necessary procedures in parallel.
Waste from a mining and metallurgical plant will be processed in the Murmansk Region, and phosphogypsum waste will be processed in the Moscow Region with the extraction of rare earth metals and the production of gypsum products. Tula is considering launching deep processing of ash and slag, products of rock transformation and coal combustion, for the production of expanded clay and building materials.
— In total, Russia has accumulated over 100 billion tons of industrial waste, and by 2050 this volume may exceed 200 billion tons. The area of their placement reaches 1,600 square kilometers, and by the middle of the century it may increase to 8,000 square kilometers," the Rusnano press service told Izvestia.
At the same time, they noted that up to 80% of accumulated waste is recyclable. And this turns them into a valuable source of raw materials, the profit from the sale of which can be used to restore territories. The market equivalent of the value of the valuable components in the TGO exceeds 1 trillion rubles, the company stressed.
In this regard, Rusnano, together with ASI, is working on proposals aimed at creating conditions for the launch and further scaling of TGO processing projects. Among other things, we are talking about their phased inventory and simplification of investors' access to man-made deposits. In addition, it is planned to create a special register of market participants and uniform technological requirements for the development of TGO facilities.
— The key goal of the pilot projects is to eliminate accumulated environmental damage. At the same time, they allow you to simultaneously test both models and technologies on specific objects with their own specifics. And the possibility of extracting a large volume of valuable components significantly increases the economic attractiveness of the emerging industry," said Ivan Ozhgikhin, CEO of Ether JSC and Head of Rusnano's environmental department.
A significant part of the objects of accumulated environmental damage can be considered as man-made deposits, Georgy Belozerov, ASI Deputy General Director, explained to Izvestia.
— Today, there are technologies that make it possible, if there is a managerial will, to perceive almost everything as a resource. In a number of regions and individual business entities, the term "waste" is not actually used — the concept of "raw materials" is used. Materials that were previously considered waste are being returned to economic circulation, while at the same time allowing the accumulated environmental damage to be eliminated," he stressed.
According to him, the main task is to build clear, transparent and reproducible mechanisms to replicate such solutions and attract private investment in such projects.
"Man—made waste recycling is not a cost or a one—time project, but the basis of a new form of management and an entire industry that generates long—term environmental, social and economic effects to increase the well-being of citizens and preserve nature," said Georgy Belozerov.
Will the business be able to implement these projects on its own
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment told Izvestia that they support pilot projects. The Agency is ready to provide all necessary legal support in obtaining such plots and reducing the time required for their provision.
— The President of Russia has set the task of creating a closed-cycle economy in the country, in which by 2030 at least 25% of production and consumption waste should be recycled. These goals and objectives are fixed in the federal project "Closed—loop Economy" of the national project "Environmental Well-being," the ministry's press service explained.
The ministry also noted that in recent years, a whole range of systemic measures has been taken to encourage the involvement of subsurface use waste. In particular, amendments were made to the law "On Subsoil", developed by the Ministry, which allowed subsurface users to extract minerals from accumulated waste without obtaining a separate license. In addition, the institute of "second discovery" was introduced, which provides an opportunity for an investor to transform a prospecting license into a mining license after mineral reserves are placed on the state balance sheet, as well as a number of other support measures.
— Today, the industry has created effective and attractive mechanisms for involving in the re-development of man-made facilities, allowing any interested investors to implement pilot projects in man-made formations. And the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is ready to support such companies," the ministry added.
Of course, these are very important projects, since waste in the form of slag heaps has accumulated in many territories after the work of enterprises almost since the 1930s, which today still lie there as dead weight, said Andrei Nagibin, leader of the Green Patrol movement.
— Of course, the time has come to deal with them for a long time. Moreover, technology is now making it possible to recycle this waste. This cannot be compared with Soviet times, when there was a plan and everyone was chasing only mining," the ecologist told Izvestia.
The extent to which these projects will be implemented depends on the regulatory measures and conditions that the authorities will create for businesses, including tax breaks, said Georgy Ostapkovich, head of the HSE Center for Market Research. According to him, it will be difficult for one private business to implement such initiatives.
In his opinion, the interest of private investors will also be determined by the position of the state, which can attract them through additional guarantees and subsidies. At the same time, the expert stressed that if the profitability potential is confirmed at the level of 1 trillion rubles, we are talking about an ambitious and attractive investment project.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
