Water Treatment and Valorization of Mine Byproducts in the Western US
This white paper highlights the critical role of water management in the mining and mineral processing sectors, particularly concerning the reclamation and treatment of water used in extracting essential materials for next-generation energy technologies and national security systems. As the U.S. seeks to reshore mineral production for economic and security reasons, there is an urgent need to improve the treatment of mining waste and track previously released waste to mitigate environmental impacts.
The mining industry has historically invested less than 1% of its revenue into research and development, creating a gap that presents an opportunity for disruptive change. The white paper calls for federal investment in technologies for mine slurry and wastewater valorization to support the development of innovative solutions that can minimize environmental risks while enhancing domestic mineral production. Key strategies include (1) improving waste treatment, (2) selective mineral extraction, and (3) valorization of critical materials in wastewater.
Success will be assessed by the increased onshoring of mining activities that effectively minimize environmental risks, the implementation of technologies capable of treating wastewater relative to critical materials produced, and the growth in the fraction of critical materials sourced domestically.
Citation Formats
TY - DATA
AB - This white paper highlights the critical role of water management in the mining and mineral processing sectors, particularly concerning the reclamation and treatment of water used in extracting essential materials for next-generation energy technologies and national security systems. As the U.S. seeks to reshore mineral production for economic and security reasons, there is an urgent need to improve the treatment of mining waste and track previously released waste to mitigate environmental impacts.
The mining industry has historically invested less than 1% of its revenue into research and development, creating a gap that presents an opportunity for disruptive change. The white paper calls for federal investment in technologies for mine slurry and wastewater valorization to support the development of innovative solutions that can minimize environmental risks while enhancing domestic mineral production. Key strategies include (1) improving waste treatment, (2) selective mineral extraction, and (3) valorization of critical materials in wastewater.
Success will be assessed by the increased onshoring of mining activities that effectively minimize environmental risks, the implementation of technologies capable of treating wastewater relative to critical materials produced, and the growth in the fraction of critical materials sourced domestically.
AU - Wilson, Aaron
DB - Energy-Water Resilience
DP - Open EI | National Laboratory of the Rockies
DO -
KW - Mining and mineral processing
KW - Reshoring mineral production
KW - Wastewater management
KW - Critical mineral valorization
KW - water management
KW - mining
KW - mineral
KW - processing
KW - reclamation
KW - treatment
KW - essential materials
LA - English
DA - 2026/01/16
PY - 2026
PB - INL
T1 - Water Treatment and Valorization of Mine Byproducts in the Western US
UR - https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/52
ER -
Wilson, Aaron. Water Treatment and Valorization of Mine Byproducts in the Western US. INL, 16 January, 2026, Energy-Water Resilience. https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/52.
Wilson, A. (2026). Water Treatment and Valorization of Mine Byproducts in the Western US. [Data set]. Energy-Water Resilience. INL. https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/52
Wilson, Aaron. Water Treatment and Valorization of Mine Byproducts in the Western US. INL, January, 16, 2026. Distributed by Energy-Water Resilience. https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/52
@misc{EWR_Dataset_52,
title = {Water Treatment and Valorization of Mine Byproducts in the Western US},
author = {Wilson, Aaron},
abstractNote = {This white paper highlights the critical role of water management in the mining and mineral processing sectors, particularly concerning the reclamation and treatment of water used in extracting essential materials for next-generation energy technologies and national security systems. As the U.S. seeks to reshore mineral production for economic and security reasons, there is an urgent need to improve the treatment of mining waste and track previously released waste to mitigate environmental impacts.
The mining industry has historically invested less than 1\% of its revenue into research and development, creating a gap that presents an opportunity for disruptive change. The white paper calls for federal investment in technologies for mine slurry and wastewater valorization to support the development of innovative solutions that can minimize environmental risks while enhancing domestic mineral production. Key strategies include (1) improving waste treatment, (2) selective mineral extraction, and (3) valorization of critical materials in wastewater.
Success will be assessed by the increased onshoring of mining activities that effectively minimize environmental risks, the implementation of technologies capable of treating wastewater relative to critical materials produced, and the growth in the fraction of critical materials sourced domestically.
},
url = {https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/52},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Energy-Water Resilience, INL, https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/52},
note = {Accessed: 2026-06-08}
}
Details
Data from Jan 16, 2026
Last updated Jan 16, 2026
Submitted Jan 16, 2026
Contact
Aaron Wilson
Authors
Keywords
Mining and mineral processing, Reshoring mineral production, Wastewater management, Critical mineral valorization, water management, mining, mineral, processing, reclamation, treatment, essential materialsDOE Project Details
Project Name White Papers on Ideas to Advance Energy-Water Resilience
Project Lead
Project Number WP-052