this post was submitted on 13 Oct 2023
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Step 1. Get A LOT of sulphuric acid
Step 2. Get some large vats, and a metal recovery unit
Step 3. Add waste + sulphuric acid
Step 4. Collect leachate and precipitate metal
Step 5. Profit
This is basically the process used for a lot of historical mines or mines with low grade ore, except they didn't use vats back then, but a constructed pad, with leachate collection.
Done at scale is this process producing a lot of toxic gases and waste chemicals?
(I think you can tell I have no idea what I'm talking about here, I'm genuinely curious)
Yeah, it's not environmentally friendly, that's for sure.
Most of the issue with mining though, come from exposing buried rock to the atmosphere, or from the tailings (crushed, processed rock)