UQ Tailings Innovation Summit
Workshop 05 I Metal Characterisation and Recovery
20 November 2026
UQ Brisbane City
Tailings represent both a long-standing environmental liability and an alternative source of critical minerals, strategic materials, and precious metals. Reprocessing legacy and fresh tailings offers a pathway towards a more circular, sustainable minerals supply chain, yet the real challenge lies in translating characterisation and quantification into recoverable pathways.
Hosted by the Mine Waste Transformation through Characterisation (MIWATCH) research group at the Sustainable Minerals Institute, this half-day workshop opens with a global overview on tailings reprocessing before turning to characterisation, quantification, and lab-scale reprocessing outcomes through a series of case studies. Participants will explore key challenges and opportunities, and work together to shape priorities for the future of tailings reprocessing.
Workshop outline
10 mins - Welcome, MIWATCH introduction, and workshop scope
30 mins - Tailings as a resource: global overview on tailings reprocessing
30 mins - Case study: characterisation
30 mins - Case study: resource estimation
30 mins - Case study: reprocessing 1
30 mins - Case study: reprocessing 2
50 mins - Open or group discussion (depending on the number of attendees): identifying priorities and opportunities for the future of tailings reprocessing
Level of prior knowledge
This is an introductory-level workshop. No prior knowledge of tailings characterisation and reprocessing is required, although a basic understanding of mineral characterisation and mineral processing would be beneficial.
What will you learn from attending the workshop
- An understanding of the global situation and outlook for tailings reprocessing as a source of critical and strategic minerals.
- The characterisation and quantification techniques used to assess tailings as a resource
- Practical reprocessing examples and lab-scale case studies demonstrating recoverable pathways.
- Key challenges, opportunities, and emerging priorities shaping the future of tailings reprocessing.
Who should attend
- Geologists, geometallurgists, mineral process engineers, or geoscientists working on critical mineral supply chains.
- Professionals and researchers interested in tailings reprocessing.
- Government and industry stakeholders involved in mine waste management, circular economy initiatives, or critical minerals policy.
- Anyone seeking to understand how legacy tailings can be characterised and reprocessed as part of a more sustainable minerals supply chain.