Tailings Processing: Opportunities in Chile’s Energy Transition

Chile, as one of the world’s leading producers of copper and lithium, plays a crucial role in the clean energy transition. The country possesses vast volumes of accumulated mining tailings containing valuable water resources and metals, including copper, molybdenum, cobalt, and rare earth elements. This extended abstract presents two complementary projects for the utilization of these tailings: (1) water drainage from tailings dams using vertical drainage systems and (2) tailings processing for the recovery of copper and molybdenum concentrates. The innovative drainage approach eliminates the need for constructing new tailings dams after processing, thus avoiding complex permitting processes and community conflicts while enabling potential future uses of processed tailings in construction materials. The results indicate that both projects are technically and economically viable, with the tailings processing plant showing a net present value of $385.2 million (8% rate) and an internal rate of return of 14.2%. These initiatives reinforce operational stability and position Chile as a leader in sustainable mining, promoting circular economy principles and supporting the global energy transition.