https://www.wsj.com/articles/supply-chain-disruptions-encourage-rio-tinto-to-mine-its-own-sludge-for-critical-minerals-11635155341?mod=djemCIO
Rio Tinto is building a plant at Kennecott that will recover tellurium, a critical mineral used in solar panels, from ore that has been dug up for its copper. The U.S. relies on imports of tellurium, including from China, which dominates global production.
But the company wants to go further at Kennecott, which accounts for nearly 20% of U.S. copper output. Rio Tinto is examining capturing more of the minerals when ore is processed for copper as a first step before potentially recovering them from waste, known as tailings.
Rio Tinto isn’t just looking to develop critical minerals production in the U.S. It is also assessing options in Canada and Australia, as the global transition to clean fuels accelerates, he said.