Governments and producers worldwide are reassessing waste streams as strategic assets capable of delivering meaningful metal supply with far lower environmental impact, as declining ore quality and rising demand are driving renewed attention toward secondary recovery.

Over the past ten years, global mines have generated more than 100-billion tonnes of mineral waste, according to the UN Environment Programme – making residues the fastest-growing by-product stream in the resource sector. Simultaneously, average gold grades in primary ore have fallen by more than 50% since the 1990s, while extraction costs and permitting timelines have sharply increased.

“The global mining industry is entering a new era. Surging demand for minerals – driven by electrification, renewable energy and the race to decarbonise – is creating unprecedented pressure on supply chains. The International Energy Agency warns of structurally tight markets, while the World Bank estimates more than three-billion tonnes of minerals will be required to support climate commitments. Yet traditional mining faces mounting environmental and financial constraints,” says gold waste stream processing specialist Northbound Processing MD Dr Duarte F da Silva.

A powerful part of the solution lies in the circular mining economy: recovering minerals from the vast volumes of by-products generated by existing operations. Leading research bodies (from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to Fraunhofer and mining and metals advocacy group ICMM) now identify secondary recovery as a critical pillar of future mineral supply.

South Africa is uniquely positioned to lead this shift, advances Da Silva, adding that more than a century of deep-level mining has created not only world-class metallurgical capability but an extensive above-ground resource base.

“Materials long regarded as waste often contain significant concentrations of scarce resources. Having spent more than 30 years in commerce and global capital markets, I have seen firsthand how overlooked these value streams have been. The science is now mature, the economics compelling and the industrial opportunity vast.”

Industrialising Gold Recovery from Waste

Northbound Processing was created to unlock this opportunity at scale, says Da Silva.

Operating a fully commercial, large-scale facility in Germiston, the company specialises exclusively in recovering gold from complex industrial residues. This gold-first strategy is intentional: the metal offers the strongest commercial case for international expansion before diversification into other minerals.

The plant processes diverse feedstocks – including inter alia spent carbon, wood chips, steel liners, rubber components, borax, greases and sludge – through proprietary systems designed for high throughput, consistent recoveries and rigorous metallurgical control. The result is a precision- engineered, industrial operation delivering reliable gold production from materials previously destined for disposal.

Waste-to-value recovery delivers clear benefits – lower environmental liabilities, reduced carbon intensity per ounce, improved environmental, social and governance (ESG) profiles and attractive margins compared with many forms of marginal primary production.

Why South Africa Has the Edge?

South Africa has all the ingredients to become a global centre for circular gold recovery, with high-grade gold-bearing residues across major mining belts; a dense network of smelters, refineries and industrial processors; deep hydrometallurgical and extractive-engineering expertise; and pressing economic and environmental incentives to reduce waste, states Da Silva.

“This combination creates a second national resource endowment that sits above ground, already mined and ready for recovery. Northbound’s Germiston facility demonstrates the scale, engineering integrity and commercial viability required to anchor this new sector.

“Drawing on decades spent structuring mining finance, mobilising capital across Africa and leading large industrial and resource transactions, I believe South Africa has a window of opportunity to shape a global industry before others catch up.”

Gold Recovery as a Strategic Imperative

Circular gold recovery is rapidly becoming a strategic necessity for mining companies and policymakers, highlights Da Silva.

“It delivers new revenue streams from previously discarded materials, reduces environmental and social impacts relative to new mining, strengthens supply security for refiners and industrial users, and aligns with investor expectations on ESG and resource efficiency.

“Every recoverable ounce left in waste is now a financial, environmental and reputational missed opportunity,” he avers.

Today, the global policy environment is shifting in ways that further elevate the importance of circular recovery. The G20’s growing emphasis on critical minerals has placed South Africa (and companies such as Northbound) at the centre of discussions about how resource-dependent economies can build resilience while contributing more meaningfully to global supply chains.

“Critical minerals are no longer viewed only through the lens of primary extraction; value addition, beneficiation and responsible processing have become core pillars of long-term supply security.

“Northbound’s work directly supports this agenda by ensuring that gold-bearing residues are processed domestically, cleanly and efficiently before the gold- bearing product reaches export markets,” says Da Silva, highlighting the urgent need to develop specialist technical skills at home.

Northbound is investing in exactly these capabilities, building a pipeline of engineers, metallurgists and plant operators equipped for the future of resource processing.

“These are the skills that will underpin Africa’s long-term competitiveness and ensure that the continent is not merely a supplier of raw materials, but a leader in mineral innovation and circular industrialisation,” he concludes.