U.S. mining operations discarding rare minerals at center of trade talks | The Highland County Press

U.S. mining operations discarding rare minerals at center of trade talks | The Highland County Press

Minerals, such as cobalt, lithium, gallium and rare earth elements like neodymium and yttrium, are being discarded as tailings – or waste products – of other mineral streams like gold and zinc, said Elizabeth Holley, associate professor of mining engineering at Colorado School of Mines and lead author of the paper. "The challenge lies in recovery," she said.