ENVIRONMENT

Comstock going 'climate smart'

US producer rolling out new extraction, processing technologies

This article is 3 years old. Images might not display.

US-based Comstock is also targeting  new development projects that efficiently reprocess and renew silver and other strategic metals as part of a 'clean energy transition' towards 'climate-smart mining'.

This shift has already begun, it said, with technologies to target leach pads, tailings and mining wastes in efforts to capture additional precious metals.

"The company's partnerships, projects and technologies, involve proprietary processes for remediating mercury and other metals from abandoned and leached mining sites and the surrounding eco-systems, while more efficiently extracting silver, gold and other strategic metals," it said.

Moving forward, Comstock plans to advance novel technologies to improve recoveries, particularly from its resources of gold and silver in Nevada, US. It also will be introducing additional conservation-based projects in the coming months.

Comstock executive chairman and CEO Corrado De Gasperis said the current remote mercury recovery and gold extraction is an immediate example of its efforts.

"MCU's mercury remediation equipment is currently deployed in the Philippines, with processing operations commencing this month. We have coordinated with the community, landed the equipment, assembled the team, and prepped for start-up," he said.

"Our joint venture partners are collaborating to begin removing toxic mercury contamination from US and international eco-systems, while efficiently extracting gold from contaminated and abandoned mining sites."

He noted that Comstock feels its approach is important and timely citing a recent report from the World Bank, Mineral Intensity of the Clean Energy Transition, revealing graphite, cobalt, lithium and other strategic minerals and metals production will be spiking dramatically by 2050 with an estimated 3 billion tonnes to be used for energy storage and renewable energy production projects.

"A quantum surge of investment is expected in conservation-based energy storage and renewable energy projects worldwide," De Gasperis said.

"We cannot rely on conventional mining methods to meet critical mineral and metal needs and we are energized by these new opportunities, and the prospect of deploying these technologies to build shareholder value by meeting the increasing higher demand for these strategic, critical and precious metals."

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence: Automation and Digitalisation Report 2024

Exclusive research for Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation and Digitalisation Report 2024 shows mining companies are embracing cutting-edge tech

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets