Announced by Minister for Business, Industry, and Resources, Eric Abetz on 30 October 2024, the Minerals Royalty Rebate Scheme will incentivise the reprocessing of historic tailings and encourage recommencement of operations at legacy mine sites, particularly where environmental rehabilitation can be achieved alongside mineral extraction.
“Tasmania is leading the way in Australia and globally by recognising the immense potential of reprocessing mine waste and this recent announcement paves the way for other states and nations to achieve a more sustainable and responsible mining industry.” said Dr Helen Degeling, Manager, ReMine Plus at Cobalt Blue. “The Tasmanian government’s support for this initiative, coupled with incentives to be offered through the rebate scheme, creates a favourable environment for sustainable mining practices.”
Image: Google Earth view of Tasmania, showing data points from the Atlas of Australian Mine Waste, Geoscience Australia.
Cobalt Blue has optimised its Remine Plus technology over seven years of research and development. The technology is backed by a robust metallurgical flowsheet and proven capability to produce high-purity cobalt and nickel sulphate. Cobalt Blue’s Remine Plus technology offers a win-win solution. It not only facilitates the extraction of valuable resources from mine waste, it also promotes environmental rehabilitation through the removal of harmful acid-forming sulphide material that can also be commercialised.
“We have successfully demonstrated the versatility of our technology by processing a wide range of metalliferous sulphides, including pyrite and pyrrhotite, commonly found in mine tailings”, said Dr Helen Degeling. “We have something ground-breaking to offer and are excited to explore potential collaborations with Tasmanian mining companies to leverage this technology and contribute to their communities, environments and sustainable mining future.”
Cobalt Blue is currently testing mine tailings from various locations in Europe, Canada, and Australia to confirm the global applicability of its Remine Plus technology.