Hindustan Zinc planning to establish a 10-million-ton-per-annum (MTPA) tailings recycling facility to recover zinc and critical minerals, including germanium, from mining waste. According to CEO Amarendu Prakash, the project could become operational in approximately two years. The initiative aims to extract valuable metals from mineral-rich tailings while improving resource utilisation and supporting the recovery of critical minerals.
Project Enters Implementation Phase
Hindustan Zinc has completed the conceptual designs and engineering work for the proposed recycling facility and has moved into the implementation phase. However, the company has yet to finalise the investment outlay. It is currently evaluating suitable technologies to process mining waste and recover metals through metallurgical and chemical methods. The final investment decision will depend on the technologies selected for the project.
Two Key Components of Tailings Recycling
Amarendu Prakash outlined two major components of the proposed project:
Tailings Handling and Processing: The company plans to handle and process mining waste, potentially using hydro-mining techniques to recover and transport mineral-rich material for further treatment.
Metal Recovery: The second component will focus on extracting zinc and other valuable minerals from the processed tailings through appropriate metallurgical and chemical processes.
By integrating these operations, Hindustan Zinc aims to unlock the value of previously generated mining waste and improve the recovery of useful resources.
Recovering Critical Minerals from Mining Waste
The proposed facility reflects Hindustan Zinc’s efforts to explore alternative sources of valuable metals and critical minerals. Recovering materials such as germanium from tailings could help diversify mineral supply sources while supporting more efficient resource utilisation. As reported by thehindubusinessline.com, once operational, the plant is expected to strengthen the company’s tailings recycling capabilities and contribute to the broader adoption of resource recovery in the mining industry.
