China has launched a world-first industrial-scale facility to extract iron from previously discarded mine tailings and ultra-low-grade ore, turning waste into a valuable resource that can reduce its dependency on overseas supply. According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) last Tuesday, a production line capable of processing 5.56 million tonnes of refractory iron ore and tailings per year has passed official checks and is now running steadily. China is the world’s largest iron ore user,…
This must be heavily funded by the government. Because extracting iron from tailings isn’t remotely cost effective.
Source: 22 years in the steel industry
What about extracting other elements like Gallium?