So when we say cost we are really meaning the amount of energy needed to isolate a given metal from its available ores. When ore concentration falls below the concentration in garbage the cost of gathering the metal from wastes then recycling becomes an economic alternative to mining. read more
Eventually, but that will be in several 10′s of thousands of years away. In the meantime, we’ll probably stop digging holes in the ground and exploit better technologies. read more
Mining is one of South Africa’s largest employment sectors and, according to Fin24, a report by StatsSA shows the number of people working in the gold-mining industry drop from 198 465 to 131 591 in the 10 years between 2003 and 2013. read more