Multidisciplinary Strategy for Optimised Management and Sustainable Recovery of Secondary and Critical Raw Materials from Mining Residues

New strategies implementing a resource-efficient and competitive economy, which transforms environmental problems into opportunities, are encouraged at global scale (UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDG). In recent years, mine residues are attracting scientific interest, since they can turn into viable sources of secondary and critical raw materials (SRMs and CRMs). Planning the sustainable supply and circular use of resources, integrating incomplete information, providing environmentally sound technologies for the simultaneous reduction of environmental risks and recovery of SRMs and CRMs are the key steps for overcoming such ambitious challenges. In this study, a multidisciplinary and eco-sustainable strategy is presented for the characterization, mapping, classification and valorization of mine residues.