Vale Targets Gold & Rare Earths Hidden in Mining Waste

Brazilian mining giant Vale is exploring new ways to extract rare earth elements, gold and other valuable minerals from mining waste, highlighting the growing importance of circular mining and mineral waste recovery. According to a Reuters report published on August 26, 2026, Vale’s research is still at an early stage, but preliminary results have been encouraging.

The initiative is part of Vale’s broader Waste to Value strategy, which aims to reduce waste generation, recover materials from tailings and waste rock, and create additional economic value from resources that were previously considered waste. Vale reported that its circular mining program produced 26.3 million tonnes of iron ore from circular sources in 2025, more than double the 2024 figure. The company sees potential for approximately 10% of its iron ore production to come from circular sources by 2030.

The focus on rare earths is particularly significant as demand continues to grow for critical minerals used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics and defense technologies. At the same time, recovering gold and other minerals from existing tailings can help mining companies maximize resource utilization while reducing the volume of material requiring long-term disposal.

Filtration: An Important Step in Mining Waste Recovery

As mining waste is reprocessed, efficient solid-liquid separation becomes increasingly important. Tailings generated during mineral recovery often contain large amounts of water and fine particles. Filter presses can separate water from mineral solids, producing drier filter cake while allowing recovered process water to be recycled.

This can support several stages of a circular mining operation, including tailings dewatering, water recovery, material handling and preparation for further mineral processing. Vale itself identifies tailings filtration and dry stacking as important technologies for reducing dependence on conventional tailings storage. In 2025, more than 80% of Vale’s iron ore production in Brazil did not depend on dams for tailings storage.

For mining companies investigating the recovery of residual iron, gold, rare earths and other critical minerals, high-efficiency filtration can become an essential link between mineral recovery and responsible waste management.

KERTE Filter Press provides industrial filtration solutions for mining, tailings and mineral processing applications, helping customers achieve efficient dewatering, water recovery and safer handling of mineral residues. As circular mining develops, advanced filtration technology can play a key role in turning mining waste into valuable resources.