History and Current Status of the Mining Industry in Waste Management - 1995 to 2024

History and Current Status of the Mining Industry in Waste Management - 1995 to 2024
December 2024

Background and Role of the Mining Industry in 1995
In 1995, Chugai Mining, based in the Mochikoshi Mine in Izu-Yugashima-cho, Shizuoka Prefecture, developed a new business that utilized waste as a resource in addition to conventional ore mining. Using technology to recover silver from waste film and photographic effluent from hospitals, the company produces 100 kilograms of high-purity gold (99.999%) and 15 tons of silver (99.99%) per month. In waste treatment, the company has promoted the introduction of detoxification and multi-purpose sintering furnaces. In the mining industry as a whole, 36 sites nationwide have an annual waste processing capacity of 9.8 million tons and can handle shredder dust and other difficult-to-process wastes. These efforts were promoted for the purpose of environmental conservation and resource recycling. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) developed the "Recycling Mine Park Plan" and supported the conversion of abandoned mines into recycling centers.

Expansion and Technological Innovation in the 2000s
The role of the mining industry as an urban mine was further emphasized in the 2000s. Advances in recycling technology led to the extraction of rare metals such as lithium, cobalt, and tantalum from electronic device waste (e-waste) such as cell phones and computers. Chugai Mining has expanded the scope of its recycling business by adopting technologies to efficiently recover these metals, particularly from the Mochikoshi Mine in Shizuoka Prefecture. In addition, the mining industry became a major player in industrial waste treatment as recycling was promoted at the national level under the Basic Law for Establishing a Recycling-based Society, which came into effect in 2001.

Deepening and Diversifying in the 2010s
In the 2010s, the mining industry made further progress in waste treatment. The increase in electronic device waste, combined with demand from the proliferation of lithium-ion batteries, led to a diversification of the types of metals that could be recycled. Chugai Mining has built a new lithium and nickel recovery line at its Mochikoshi Mine in Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, which can supply several tons of lithium compounds on a monthly production scale. This was a significant achievement as a measure to respond to the rapid spread of electric vehicles (EVs).

The mining industry also played an active role in the disposal of disaster waste: after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, the company played a part in the processing of debris and waste generated, sorting recyclable metals and converting them into resources. This initiative was highly regarded both for its effective use of waste and for its role in community revitalization.

In addition, innovation through corporate collaboration has progressed, and cooperation with domestic and international waste disposal companies and the recycling industry has deepened. In particular, new electrolysis and chemical extraction technologies were developed to effectively separate rare metals, improving efficiency; in 2017, the Ministry of the Environment led the formulation of the "Advanced Recycling Promotion Program," and the mining industry was highlighted as a foundation for the program.

Development and Current Status in the 2020s
In the 2020s, Chugai Mining evolved into a more advanced waste recycling business while continuing operations at the Mochikoshi Mine. Based in Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, the company continues to produce gold and silver using its technology for extracting precious metals from electronics. The company recovers approximately 100 kilograms of gold and 15 tons of silver per month, and is also recovering resources from medical waste. The company also plays an important role in accepting, sorting, and processing disaster waste.

In particular, the recovery of rare metals and lithium battery materials is the foundation for supporting the increasing demand associated with the spread of electric vehicles (EVs).

The Mining Industry's Role in Society
The mining industry has played an important role in both environmental impact reduction and resource recycling from the 1990s through the 2020s. In particular, efforts to reuse abandoned mines have not only utilized vast tracts of land and beneficiation facilities, but also contributed to the stable supply of rare metals and the creation of local employment. This history shows how the mining industry has evolved from a mere mining industry to a core of sustainable resource recycling, and is expected to play a further role in environmental conservation and resource recycling in the future.