Rehabilitation, recycling, secondary resources : the new horizons

Rehabilitation of a mining site is an acute issue in the case of metal mines; its aim is to avoid contamination of the environment, in the short or medium term, particularly through acid mine drainage which develops on former sulfide deposits. The management of mining impacts must take into account the speciation of contaminating elements, so as to limit their impact. This parameter plays a part in the choice of (bio)remediation technologies. Another aspect of sustainable development concerns the growing importance of recycling and re-use, leading to the concept of "secondary raw materials", with new economic practices associated with the fact that they are no longer considered as waste. This evolution leads to the virtuous idea: " Primary metal production fills the gap between the availability of secondary material and total demand. [1] "

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