Friday, October 24, 2008

Unconventional "Mines"

MetalMiner, a great blog I started reading recently, carries a fascinating post on "landfill mining".

True or false: U.S. landfills could provide enough steel to equal four full years of American steel production. The surprising answer? True. Already consuming approximately 100 million metric tons of scrap steel each year, the U.S. steel industry recognizes that landfill mining is estimated to uncover more than 400 million metric tons of steel. Further, some experts estimate that there’s more aluminum in landfills than the concentrations in iron ore, and trashed computers could provide more gold, copper and mercury. Landfills, it seems, are evolving into gold mines.
This idea reminds me of a Reuters article from earlier this year about "urban mining" in Japan. What the nation lacks in physical resources, it makes up in recycling efficiency. Firms like Dowa's Eco-System Recycling Co. might be pinched as metals prices fall to earth, but future upswings in commodities markets (perhaps as soon as H2 2009) could prompt greater innovation and growth potential for this promising niche sector.

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