Environmental and Health Implications of Recycling Mine Tailings into Construction Materials for Community Purposes

Abstract:

To properly address mine waste management and comply with national regulations while subsequently decreasing environmental harm, Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) communities regularly repurpose mine tailings into construction materials. Although such practices show much promise in containing tailing waste material, ecological and health implications are oftentimes overlooked. Most importantly, recycling projects lack community stakeholder engagement, technical expertise, and understanding of the possible risks associated with the repurposing. In this study, the primary goal was to examine the environmental and health implications of mine tailing recycling activity around the world, with special focus on ASGM, concentrating on the fate and transport of contaminants and health-related issues associated with exposure. Recommendations are presented to help transition the technical knowledge from lab-scale experiments to real technical solutions that are feasible in developing communities. This study also analyzes different methodologies to understand technical alternatives in the light of health and environmental implications, providing feasible alternatives for mine tailings recycling and providing communities with the toolset necessary to properly assess the implementation of such construction materials in their building projects.