b'AEGC 2021Keynote speaker abstractsto low-carbon economies. New technologies such as electricThis research, funded by the Queensland Government, vehicles, low-emission power sources and products for thefocusses on secondary prospectivity in the state, where at medical and defence sectors are required to support this.least 40 significant metalliferous mining operations produce The manufacture of these products requires resources ofmine waste streams containing unknown quantities of new economy metals including cobalt, tungsten, rare earthnew economy metals. Additionally, there are 120 state-elements, indium, gallium and germanium. Traditionally, thesemanaged abandoned mines. Many of these sites contain metals were considered unwanted by-products of base metalreactive sulphide-rich mine waste with associated acid and and precious metal mining operations, and consequently aremetalliferous drainage risks. Ongoing management of these concentrated in mine waste. sites is costly, but their potential new economy metal content Mine waste reprocessing is business proposition that is as yet uncharacterisedpresents a unique opportunity to increasingly being adopted in many countries, includingrehabilitate these sites through reprocessing waste. The new several in Australia e.g., the Hellyer, Century, Mt Carbine, Mteconomy metal fertility of 16 sites was examined. Hosting Morgan and Tick Hill Mines. However, these materials areof Co in sulphides and Mn- and Fe-oxides was observed in mineralogically heterogeneous thus, a one approach-fits alltailings, waste rock and spent heap leach materials collected will not optimise value-recovery or indeed, guarantee that thein NW Queensland with REEs hosted by allanite, stillwellite and waste is environmentally de-risked. Fundamentally materialsFe-oxides. Mine waste collected in NE Queensland confirmed must be thoroughly characterised adopting similar practices aschalcopyrite and sphalerite as hosts. Metallurgical extraction undertaken in geometallurgical studies. methods are now being tested.59 PREVIEW AUGUST 2021'