MINING WASTE
The industry at large embraced the change by finding ways to integrate innovative waste management strategies into operations. We are seeing more mines mitigating risks by conducting comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessments( EIAs) and implementing sustainable solutions for their full lifecycles by adopting circular economy and ZW2L strategies.
However, these EIAs should include ESG considerations as a measure to deliver sustainable growth. When examining waste within this context, you of course have the‘ E’ – which stands for“ environmental” – evaluating a mine’ s impact on our natural resources, including biodiversity, ecosystems, and climate. What is great to see is that pollution and waste form an integral part of this. In fact, a common measurement for mines undertaking an ESG rating now is how they manage their waste. In other words, do they have a waste management strategy in place that includes waste avoidance, minimisation, reuse, and recycling strategies? Are they effectively mitigating pollution?
However, as more mines adopt a circular economy model, we will see greater compliance and higher ratings. Why? Because while the circular economy is a relatively new concept, as a reformative system it offers significant opportunities to deliver more inclusive economic growth, including the job opportunities and positive environmental practices needed for sustainability in countries around the world, not just South Africa. By adopting a circular economy mindset and a proactive approach to managing waste, mines will not only enhance the environmental aspect of their ESG rating, they’ ll also up the social, governance, and economic performance of their business.
Another big area of focus is finding alternative energy sources such as waste-derived fuel( WDF) production facilities. It is here that waste plays a significant role. Several technologies are available to convert waste to energy. As an example, Interwaste has pioneered two types of alternative fuels locally – one solid and one liquid – and tries to convert as much industrial waste into this product as our current capacity allows.
RDF is a solid fuel source recovered through the shredding and baling of certain pre-sorted dry industrial non-recyclable waste. The RDF we produce requires no heat for drying, yields a cleaner RDF, with a high heating value similar to that of A-grade coal. It thus forms a suitable and robust alternative to fossil fuel use. Such fuels can be used within sole / co-feeding plants, replacing conventional fuels( e. g. coal) in production plants for power, steam and heat generation, cement kilns and other suitable combustion installations.
Rubber is one of the mining sector’ s biggest waste streams( tyres, conveyor belts, etc). These can be put through an RDF process by using technology to strip out wires, remove beading of OTR( off the road) tyres, and cut them up or shred them down into specific sizes for RDF use in other industries. While this innovation is in its infancy stage, there is a growing need for it, and cost-wise, it could provide an excellent offtake opportunity for the sector, especially if you consider the reuse of existing waste and the savings in carbon emissions through responsible waste management. Other processes such as thermal destruction, gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas recovery can also create an energy stream.
If we take the mining sector as an example again, rubber is one of their biggest waste streams( tyres, conveyor belts, etc).
Interwaste has a very successful campaign where we produce alternative fuel generated from blending hazardous waste such as hydrocarbon and chemicals at our facility in Germiston. The alternative fuel is currently transported to cement kilns, where it is then combusted through co-processing. This project is benchmarked to supply up to 1 000 tonnes of consistent fuel per kiln, per month. While this waste is not going back into the mining sector as yet, mining waste is used in the processing, contributing to a stronger reuse-andrepurpose mindset within the sector.
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