Towards sustainable metal extraction
Navigating energy and water challenges in the South African mining industry
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13069372 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sehliselo Ndlovu (0000-0002-1403-5007, University of the Witwatersrand, corresponding author), Sefiu O Adewuyi (0000-0001-5240-7054, Mineral Resources) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Pages | 101760-101760 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Extractive Industries and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2214-790X • E-ISSN: 2214-7918 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.exis.2025.101760 |
| OpenAlex | W4413755058 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 23 |
Reframes water and energy as strategic constraints in the sustainability of South Africa’s metal extraction industry. • Introduces a circular economy paradigm to transform traditional linear mineral processing models. • Explores the potential of solar and wind integration to reduce mining reliance on coal-based electricity in South Africa. • Proposes innovative reuse of abandoned mines for renewable energy storage, enhancing energy resilience. The move towards technological advancements and industrial developments such as energy transition suggests that the mining industry will need to provide the world with vast quantities of critical metals in the future. As such, the mining sector is receiving increasing attention for the role it plays as a supplier of materials necessary to build the infrastructure for a carbon neutral future. However, the mining industry continues to face a number of obstacles which might make meeting the demand for these critical metals challenging. The increasing energy demand, the scarcity of fresh water supply and the growing need for responsible mining with regards to the environment and the society, are some of these challenges. This paper highlights the challenges around water and energy utilisation in the South African metal extraction industry and further discusses some of the strategies and initiatives being undertaken by the sector in order to ensure sustainability. The paper highlights that a move from linear to a circular approach in water utilisation and the integration of renewable energy sources to support the traditional coal powered energy supplies are some of the strategies that the mining industry is initiating to safeguard the uninterrupted supply of raw materials and products in not only an economically viable way but also in a responsible manner
Business · Economics · Energy (signal processing · Extraction (chemistry · Mining engineering · Mining industry · Natural resource economics · Political science · Renewable energy · Sustainable development · Sustainable Energy · Chemistry · Engineering · Extraction and Separation Processes · Law · Mining and Resource Management · Mining Techniques and Economics
Conceptualizing the circular economy
Socio-environmental impacts of mineral mining and conflicts in Southern and West Africa
Mine Water for the Generation and Storage of Renewable Energy
Sustainable copper supply chains
Barriers to powering past coal
The role of governance modes and meta-governance in the transformation towards sustainable water governance
Water governance in rural communities of Chiloé Island, southern Chile
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |