The Council of Ukrainian Coal Manufacturers and Exporters conducted a regular scheduled meeting on September 16, 1999

ARTIFICIAL SOURCES OF METALS

Vladimir MISCHENKO, Doctor of economic sciences

The main objective of this article is to conduct primary
arrangement of data on the respective sources of metals and to highlight technological and
investment priorities in recycling man-made waste materials.

When concentrating on the issue of man-made sources of
metals, one should clearly distinguish the terms of "secondary metals" (also
called scrap and waste metals and alloys) and "secondary (artificial) raw
materials" used to recover metals. The first term relates to discarded metal-based
articles, which have exhausted their operating value, as well as to residues remaining
from production and treatment of metals. The term of "secondary artificial
materials" means waste materials as substitutes for primary raw. As a matter of fact,
the first case foremost relates to refuse remaining from end use, while the second case
– to waste from interim use. (It should also be mentioned that Verkhovna Rada (the
Supreme Soviet of Ukraine) has passed the law of Ukraine "On scrap metal", which
cancels subjectivity of metal wastes to the scope of the law "On waste
materials". Thus, the former mentioned law withdraws waste metals from the category
of waste materials, consequently contradicting all the previous foreign and internal
experience in this field.) However, the distinction is not too clear sometimes, for
instance, in case of dead catalysts and some other types of waste materials.

Over the recent decades, Ukraine has developed an industry
equipped with machinery, which consumes excessive amounts of materials and power.
Employment of deficient technologies and orientation at manufacturing a single product at
an enterprise were accompanied with considerable losses of valuable materials. On the one
hand, this has resulted in quick depletion of local deposits of materials and, one the
other hand, it has led to unexampled formation and accumulation of waste materials, as
well as to worsening of the environment.

In the 80s, about 1.8-1.9 bln. tons of all the types of
waste materials were annually formed in Ukraine. Overburden rocks contributed the largest
portion to this (1.4-1.5 bln. tons); residual products from dressing of mineral resources
(mainly tailings) – some more 250 mln. tons; waste products from chemical and
metallurgic treatment of minerals – 75 mln. tons; fly ash and cinder from thermoelectric
power plants – 14-15 mln. tons etc.

In the subsequent years, these figures went down
substantially. In 1996-1997, the statistics reported formation of approximately 570 mln.
tons of waste materials (corresponding to 38% of the 1990 level), or including the expert
appraisal of the full assortment – some 700 mln. tons. Out of this amount, wastes of
minerals’ extraction and dressing constituted some 500 mln. tons (or 250-260 mln. cu m).
At the moment, less than a third of the total statistically-registered types of the most
material-rich wastes (51 types under 14-NTP form) is recycled.

When being stored, blended etc., the valuable quantities of
waste materials were considerably disseminated once again. Yet, in many cases, secondary
concentrations – artificial piles with about the same volumes and contents of valuable
minerals as the natural deposits – were formed.

In the 1980s, there appeared a number of evidences proving
the potential value of many types of waste materials as sources of metals. In the
contemporary economic situation, when business contacts with previous suppliers of raw
materials have been lost and resources’ supplies have become much more limited, both
practical and scientific interest in waste materials has further intensified. There are a
number of proofs to this statement. The case of metallurgic slags has already become quite
trivial. Almost all the Dnepropetrovsk region-based stacks of tailings remaining from
dressing of manganese ore are being used now. These stacks have finally been given a true
assessment because they have up to 12% manganese contents. A joint venture located at the
premises of Irshansk Ore Mining and Dressing Plant is working on recycling wastes from
dressing of titanium ores. Competition over certain types of waste materials has already
been registered etc.

When considering the issue of the article, it is quite
interesting to take a look at the statistics of toxic wastes in Ukraine. Recently, this
statistics has been reporting formation of some 101-135 mln. tons of toxic wastes per
year, including 3.2-8.1 mln. tons of the I-III danger rate toxic wastes. It should be
mentioned that the statistics predominantly covers toxic wastes with contents of such
metals as chromium, nickel, lead, vanadium, cobalt, copper, mercury, manganese, and zinc.

In this case, metal contents in the waste do not serve as
the criteria of resource value, but as the degree of hazard to health and environment. At
the same time, one can roughly estimate the approximate resource contents in certain types
of toxic wastes. Electroplating wastes account for almost 90% of the total formation of
the I danger rate wastes (see table 1). The appropriate technical and technological
solutions to recycling of most types of such wastes (see below) are yet to be given for
the galvanic process. Furthermore, environment-safe disposal of such wastes (for instance,
landfill) remains a pressing issue as well.

It is quite obvious that the composition of raw materials,
semi-finished products, and finished goods, which are used in the manufacturing process,
predetermines origination of man-made metal concentrations. Therefore, it becomes possible
to forecast (and even to plan in advance!) the corresponding sources of materials.

* based on the data in form No.1 – toxic wastes

At first, we should contemplate on the primary cycle of raw
materials. It is worth recalling a school-grade verity that virtually no single-component
mineral resources occur in the nature. The composition analysis of trace elements (those
with high contents in the primary mineral) is the first stage of the research. Both the
raw materials mined in Ukraine and the raw imported from abroad should be subject to this
analysis. Ukrainian-mined deposits of materials, which can be combusted, dressed, and
given chemical and metallurgic treatment, include oil; coals; iron, manganese, titanium,
mercury, potassium, nickel, and uranium ores; and primary kaolins. At the same time, the
range of imported materials comprises oil once again, bauxite, phosphorous raw, rare-earth
and polymetal raw materials, as well as sulfuric pyrite (which was previously used to make
sulfuric acid).

• Both imported and domestic oil has high contents of certain heavy metals,
  mostly vanadium and nickel.

• Donbass-based coals have high geochemical contents of germanium, mercury,
  molybdenum, and arsenic, which leads to formation of the respective artificial anomalies
  at the sites of coal thermoelectric power plants, coke recovery plants, and coal cleaning
  factories. To the lower degree, coals contain large amounts of alumina, rare-earth metals,
  lithium, rubidium, cesium, gallium, and some other metals.

• Iron ores have contents of germanium, scandium, vanadium, gold, and
  silver, as well as of bismuth, strontium, nickel, titanium, and uranium.

• Mercury ores contain antimony, gold, and silver.

• Manganese ores contain yttrium, rubidium, strontium, lead, and zinc.

• Nickel ores have contents of cobalt, tungsten, molybdenum, and zinc.

• Kaolin contains rare-earth elements (occurring in monazite).

• Titanium and titanium-zirconium ores contain vanadium, scandium,
  rare-earth elements, tantalum, niobium, copper, and chromium.

• Uranium ores contain scandium and other metals.

• Out of the imported raw materials, raw alumina (in bauxite) contains
  gallium, scandium, yttrium, and iron; phosphorous ores (in concentrated apatite) contain
  rare-earth metals and strontium; while sulfuric pyrite has contents of gold, silver,
  copper, zinc, and other metals.

It should also be mentioned that, owing to suffered losses,
the accumulated tailings from ore dressing, as well as products of subsequent raw
materials’ processing, frequently become secondary sources of principal metals, such as
iron, manganese, mercury, and titanium.

Chemical and metallurgic treatment of raw materials
requires additional components, such as charge materials etc., which results in
origination of new blendings and concentrations of the accompanying metals. Utilization of
scrap metal in steelmaking has an especially high influence because the scrap involves
such metals as zinc, lead, copper, chromium, and others. Further processing and treatment
of metals, such as rolling, electroplating etc., as well as combustion of coal and oil
products, cause formation of a wide range of liquid, sludge, and solid wastes. In a number
of cases, these wastes have residual or newly-formed contents of metals (see table 2).

The highest contents of metals occur in:

• slags of steel smelting (contain Ti, Mn, Cr, and lower contents of Zn,
  Cu, Ni, Zr), of blast-furnace smelting (contain Mn, Mo, Zn, Cr, Ni), and of ferroalloy
  manufacturing processes (contain Mn, Sr, and sometimes Ti);

• dust and tailings from metalmaking processes (contain Zn, Pb, Cr, Ni,
  V2O5);

• wastes from foundry and metallurgic workshops of machine-building
  companies, such as slags, powder-gas wastes from smelting and casting of metals, discarded
  molding mixtures (contain Mn, Cr, Cu, Ti and other metals);

• fly ashes from combustion of fuel oil (contents of V, Ni, and other
  metals);

• fly ashes and cinder wastes from combustion of coal (contain alumina, Li,
  Rb, Cs, TR);

• sludge of electroplating processes (contains Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sn).

From thousands tons to tens of millions tons of all the
mentioned and some other waste materials have been accumulated. Under the current
condition of the ever-increasing costs for extraction of primary raw materials and
scarcity of raw resources, accumulations of waste materials turn into artificial deposits
of valuable elements.

For instance, high manganese contents occur in
ferromanganese and silicomanganese slags (at Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant, where the
accumulated amount of 15 mln. tons contains 14-19% of manganese oxides) and tailings from
previous ore-dressing processes (with 8-12% manganese contents). The accumulated 2 mln.
tons of slags at DneproSpetsStal have high contents of nickel, chromium, molybdenum,
tungsten, and other metals.

Unfortunately, certain types of valuable waste materials
have already been used, as in case of pyrite dross from Rubezhansk Chemical Plant and from
some other enterprises, which have been utilized as components of construction materials.
Some metal-based waste materials have been sold to foreign consumers at prices below their
actual value.

There has been accumulated significant foreign and more
moderate domestic experience of utilizing certain large-size metal-containing wastes. The
renowned examples are Inmetco thermal technologies using rotary furnaces to process
zinc-based slag from steelmaking, SL/RN, Codir, Fastmet Midrex technologies, and others
(see Ferrous metals, issue #7, 1990 (H. Bayer and others)). Pilot factories to salvage
slag, fly ashes from fuel-oil thermoelectric power plants, electroplating sludge etc. have
also been designed in Ukraine. A number of researchers point out that the technology of
chemical or bacteriological heap leaching of tailings dumps, slag heaps, and waste dumps
is rather worthwhile to treat technological wastes.

Treatment processes and combustion stages can lead to
concentration or scattering of the trace metal elements. The ranges of such concentration
or scattering are extraordinary large, yet they can be regulated.

For instance, coals contain germanium with concentration of
10-20 grams per ton of coal. When combusting coals, most of this germanium (80-90%)
becomes airborne when the temperature of the burning layer reaches 800-1,100oC. The
escaped germanium is concentrated in the carryover fly ashes (100 grams per ton of ashes).
When employing special selection, the contents of germanium increase to 900-1,000 grams
per ton. Fuel-bed firing of coal ensures secondary concentration.

Only a negligible portion vanadium and nickel from fly ash
of fuel-oil thermoelectric power plants is entrapped. As a rule, up to 80-90% of these
metals in the state of fine dust, along with flue gas, are emitted in the atmosphere. This
means that up to 100 tons of vanadium pentoxide escape from one boiler per year.

"The Program for recycling of production wastes and
consumption residues until 2005" (approved by the Regulation of the Cabinet of
Ministers #668 dated August 26, 1997) became a confirmation of increased interest of the
Government in waste materials as substitutes for primary raw.

What are the most interesting projects considered in the
Program? Mainly, the Program stipulates for measures aimed at using wastes to manufacture
construction materials and for recycling of end-consumption residues. Rather numerous
projects are envisioned in regard to metals, yet as a rule, these projects relate to
establishment of local systems such as pilot production sections. These include:

• salvage of dusts and tailings from steelmaking and rolling mills to
  manufacture metallized pellets and zinc concentrate (at KrivorozhStal, ZaporozhStal, and
  AzovStal);

• processing of aluminum-saline slags, which originate when smelting scrap
  and waste metals (at JV Integral of Sverdlovsk, Lugansk region);

• recovery of valuable components from sediments of slag heaps originated
  from zirconium production (Volnogorsk Mining and Smelting Works);

• treatment of zinc wastes with reagent zinc salt (Chemical Reagent Plant
  of Cherkassy);

• manufacturing of technological additives to steel from metal-based
  (aluminum, titanium, magnesium, iron etc.) waste materials (Alchevsk Iron & Steel
  Works, Dneprovsk Metallurgic Works);

• salvage of manganese-zinc galvanic cells (OJSC UkrZinc Plant of
  Constantinovka);

• utilization of electrochemical sludge by employing electric slag remelt
  to obtain metal alloys (Vesna Concern of Dnepropetrovsk, OJSC CeZaRa of Chernigov,
  KolomiyaSelMash Plant);

• treatment of galvanic sludge and electroslag dust to manufacture metals
  and materials for construction at Kiev-based enterprises (Energia Plant);

• salvage of discarded iron-nickel accumulators (South-Eastern regional
  association KolyorMet of Dnepropetrovsk);

• extraction of indium and gallium from waste materials (OJSC UkrZinc
  Plant);

• recovery of scarce and dispersed metals from waste materials (Arsenal
  Plant manufacturing association of Kiev);

• demercuration and utilization of waste mercury arc-lamps to recover
  quicksilver, tungsten, molybdenum, and niobium (Poltava Discharge Tube Plant; JSC Gazotron
  of Rovno, Nikitovka Mercury Works).

So far, most of the mentioned measures are nothing but
projects. The only actual step was the commissioning of the first completion stage of the
section to recover electroplating wastes at OJSC MetalList Works of Lvov in April 1999.
Lvov-Contact regional association and Ministry for Environmental Safety of Ukraine are the
business partners in this particular project.

As a matter of fact, this section is practically the first
Ukrainian-made operating pilot manufacturing machinery in Eastern Europe. It is estimated
that the sector will annually extract 3,500 kg of nickel carbonate, 500 kg of copper
carbonate; 400 kg of nickel metal; 420 kg of copper metal; and 3,200 kg of chromium
ferrite. The section is capable of supplying products to 10 regional companies. Thus, this
section is a prototype of a regional recycling facility for electroplating wastes (by late
1999, it is also planned to develop a technological process to recycle chromium
wastewaters).

In compliance with the State Program, commissioning of the
second completion stage of the section envisions design of a pilot unit to salvage
secondary neutral salts and a unit to salvage and stabilize electroplating sludge. This
will allow recommending implementation of this technology in all the Ukrainian regions.

Recently, Brovary Powder Metallurgic Plant (JV Integral of
Paton Electric Welding Institute and TeploElectroProekt Design and Manufacturing Company)
has conducted industrial tests of technology to recover vanadium and some other components
from fly ashes and cinder of thermoelectric power plants. Based on the results of these
tests, the design proposal for Kiev-based Thermoelectric Power Plant-5 is currently being
worked out. Agat plant of Gorodnya, Chernigov region, has conducted works aimed at
utilizing electroplating sludge.

The Ministry of Economics of Ukraine, and Intersectoral
Coordination Board "Artificial resources" under the Ministry for Industrial
Policy (as well as the Chief Department for Scientific, Technical, and Innovative Support)
play a significant part in support and implementation of a number of pilot projects.
Besides, the Interagency Ecological Center (the head scientific and technical entity for
issues of hazardous wastes within the Ministry for Environmental Safety and the National
Academy of Sciences of Ukraine) has a prominent role in supporting pilot developments.

Among the studied projects and research developments, the
most worthwhile ones are as follows:

• technology for utilization of pickling solutions and electrolytes
  (GORHIMPROM Institute of Lvov);

• biotechnologies for recovery of ferrous, nonferrous, and precious metals
  from wastes (Dnepropetrovsk State University);

• utilization of electroplating wastes to manufacture catalysts (Gas
  Institute under the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine);

• salvage of electroplating sludge (OJSC UkrNGITM of Dnepropetrovsk);

• utilization of luminescent tubes (UkrGIPROIV and Stand plant)

• recovery of vanadium and nickel from fly ashes of fuel-oil thermoelectric
  power plants (UkrNTEK – the Institute for Technical Ecology of Donetsk, MechanObrCherMet
  Institute);

• pyrometallurgic treatment of metal-based tailings to manufacture
  metallized pellets and zinc concentrate (EnergoStal Institute of Kharkov, Donetsk State
  Technical University, UkrNTEK of Donetsk);

• recovery of molybdenum from pickling solutions (Kremenchug-based
  Institute for Economics and Novel Technologies);

• processing of metallurgic slags to extract metal concentrates
  (MechanObrCherMet Institute);

• technology to recover nickel salts from wastes of tube, hardware, and
  metallurgic works (DTI of Dnepropetrovsk, NIIReactivElectron of Donetsk);

• manufacturing of germanium ash concentrates using steam coals (ITTF under
  the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine);

• recovery of vanadium from wastes of titanium manufacturing (Titanium
  Institute of Zaporozhje);

• hydrometallurgic treatment of titanium-based wastes stored in wastewater
  pools (SvetKerMet of Sverdlovsk).

The Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry under the
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Severodonetsk Technological Institute; Kiev-based
"Aviatsionniye Materialy" (Aviation Materials) Scientific and Research Center,
Chemical and Technological Institute of Dnepropetrovsk, and ISTA Scientific and Industrial
Corporation of Dnepropetrovsk successfully engage in generation of technologies to process
electroplating wastes.

The former Ukrainian Ministry of Industry has performed the
work on "Inventory of man-made wastes and advisory services on prospective directions
for recovery of nonferrous and scarce metals", as well as has worked out the sectoral
"Program for neutralization and utilization of industrial wastes". Partially
using the materials of the mentioned works, there has been created the "Copper of
Ukraine" Program; there have been defined efficient directions and technologies for
zinc recovery from metallurgic tailings and for germanium recovery from carryover fly
ashes of coal thermoelectric power plants.

In 1996, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of
Mechanical Engineering, jointly with the Institute for Superhard Materials under the
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, adopted the complex target program named
"Establishment of the system to collect, utilize, and salvage tungsten-based wastes,
hard alloys, wastes of tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt, and their alloys". This program
stipulates for multiple reuse of raw materials.

Considering the mentioned state program, it is rather
curious to take a look at the earlier program development for waste salvage "in order
to recover nonferrous and scarce metals, as well as other valuable components". This
previous program took shape in 1992 under the auspices of I. Yukhonvsky, the First Vice
Premiere Minister of Ukraine. This project is interesting because it was developed in the
times when design and engineering developments were not bound by financial limitations.
Thus, the program resulted in the large scope and variety of measures proposed. Besides,
more than 50 industrial companies themselves put forth the measures for the program,
though hoping to get state subsidies for their projects. In many a case, the proposed
measures rested on novel technological developments and know-how. The most significant
proposed measures included:

• thorough processing of phosphogypsum to recover strontium and rare-earth
  elements;

• extraction of scandium dioxide and materials to manufacture cement from
  coal-washer sludge (from Zaporozhje Coke Chemical Recovery Plant) and chloride wastes
  (from Zaporozhje Titanium and Magnesium Works) based on developments of the Titanium
  Institute;

• recovery of nonferrous metals from wastes of hot galvanizing of steel
  (UkrZinc and GartMet Scientific and Manufacturing Institute);

• recovery of scandium, gallium, and yttrium from alumina manufacturing
  wastes (Nikolaev Alumina Plant);

• implementation of technologies to recover mercury, germanium, and gallium
  from wastes of mercury manufacturing (Nikitovka Mercury Works, Fanda of Lvov);

• design and implementation of mini-technologies to extract mercury and
  mercury-based compounds from wastes of oil refining and coke chemistry (Lvov and Drogobych
  Oil Refineries, Zaporozhje Coke Chemical Recovery Plant);

• recovery of zirconium, hafnium, and rare-earth elements from wastes of
  Verkhnedneprovsk Mining and Smelting Works;

• processing of Krivbass mine waters to extract nonferrous and scarce
  metals (KM company of Krivoy Rog and Fanda company of Lvov);

• implementation of ion-exchange technologies to extract nonferrous and
  scarce metals from wastes (Scientific and Research Institute for Ion-Exchange Materials of
  Cherkassy and Pridneprovje Chemical Plant);

• recovery of selenium, tellurium, and mercury from sludge of sulfuric acid
  manufacturing (UkrZinc, Zaporozhje Industrial Institute, and Fanda company);

• recovery of scarce metals from tailings of iron ore mining and dressing
  plants (NIGRI of Krivoy Rog and Scientific and Research Institute for Ion-Exchange
  Materials of Cherkassy);

• extraction of germanium from coal-cleaning wastes and from fly ashes of
  thermoelectric power plants (Coal-Chemical Institute and Titanium Institute);

• recovery of compounds containing scandium, vanadium, yttrium, hafnium,
  and zirconium using wastes of titanium manufacturing (Zaporozhje Titanium and Magnesium
  Works and Titanium Institute);

• extraction of germanium, cadmium, zinc, silver, and other metals from
  wastes of iron ores’ metallurgic treatment (NIGRI of Krivoy Rog).

It is also worth mentioning the Concept of the State
Program "Scarce metals, precious metals, and diamonds of Ukraine", which also
viewed secondary resources as a potential source of scarce and precious metals. In
compliance with this Concept, the list of artificial objects comprised tailings piles of
Zaporozhje Titanium and Magnesium Works, Nikolaev Alumina Works, Crimea-based Titan
manufacturing association, Udarnik plant of Constantinovka, kaolin plants (at Turbov,
Glukhov, and Prosyana deposits), electroplating wastes etc.

Throughout the 90s and especially after adoption of the
President’s Decree "On geological survey and procedures for utilization of artificial
deposits of valuable minerals" (dated December 30, 1993), specialists with the State
Committee for Geology of Ukraine conducted comprehensive inspection of such objects. Using
the geological and economic assessments, there were picked out 16 waste dumps, which were
the most worthwhile for industrial use. These wastes feature high contents of certain
scarce, nonferrous, and noble metals, while the quality and volume of deposits of such
wastes rival the best natural deposits of valuable industrial minerals. Thus, these dumps
rank among complex man-made deposits, through they have yet to acquire the appropriate
legal status. The mentioned wastes relate to dumps of:

• OJSC Nikolaev Alumina Works (with contents of scandium, germanium,
  vanadium, and rare-earth elements);

• Crimea-based Titan manufacturing association (Armenian artificial deposit
  of gold, silver, copper, and zinc);

• OJSC Turbov Kaolin Plant (rare-earth elements);

• Zaporozhje Titanium and Magnesium Works (10-20% of scandium, 0.2-0.3% of
  niobium, 0.015-0.200% of titanium, and 0.15-2.00% of rare-earth elements);

• OJSC UkrZinc Plant of Constantinovka (lead, zinc, tungsten, and copper);

• Krivbass-based ore mining and dressing plants (some of which have wastes
  with contents of gold, scandium, vanadium, silver, germanium, and tungsten);

• wastes from thermoelectric power plants (lithium, rubidium, cesium, and
  lanthanide series elements);

• OJSC Nikitovka Mercury Works (mercury, gold, and silver);

• OJSC SumyHimProm (gold, silver, and scandium);

• Donetsk Chemical and Metallurgic Works (tantalum, yttrium, zirconium,
  molybdenum, and tungsten);

• Artemovsk Nonferrous Metals Works (tantalum, copper, zinc etc.);

• OJSC Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant (manganese, zinc, lead, lithium, and
  yttrium occurring and tailings and slags);

• OJSC Pobuzhskoje Nickel Works (tungsten, molybdenum, zinc, nickel, and
  lead);

• Glukhov Ore Mining and Dressing Plant (rare-earth metals);

• Prosyana Ore Mining and Dressing Plant (rare-earth metals);

• Irshansk Ore Mining and Dressing Plant (scarce and rare-earth metals).

According to geologists, all the mentioned objects are most
suitable to be named artificial metal deposits judging by the prospecting degree. Only the
first seven of the mentioned waste dumps have the estimated deposits of 10 mln. tons of
such metals as Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Ag, Au, Sc, Ta, Nb, and TR.

The total objects suitable for inspection number over 500.

Owing to huge volume accumulated (more than 3 bln. tons),
wastes of iron ore mining and dressing plants seize extra special attention. We believe
that these wastes feature both some bright prospects and speculative rumors. These wastes
have high contents of gold, silver, germanium, platinum, and vanadium, which are sometimes
suitable for industrial use. In particular, gold contributes 0.004-2.700 grams per ton of
wastes. At the same time, it is possible that gold placers have been built up.

In the early 90, there were made attempts to prove
expediency of gold recovery. The group of devotees at Noviy Krivoy Rog Ore Mining and
Dressing Plant have designed and assembled a pilot unit (Nedra company) and verified the
possibility of gold extraction. Yet, problems with further financing slowed down
implementation of the project. The main inference of this case is that more complex
approach should be applied to assess the prospects of secondary treatment of tailings from
ore mining and dressing plants.

Specialists with the State Committee for Geology believe
that, using the secondary artificial deposits of minerals, it is well possible to build up
export potential on scandium and germanium, to completely satisfy domestic demands for
tantalum, niobium, and mercury, as well as to satisfy up to 25% of internal demands for
silver, gold, strontium, lithium, and rare-earth metals.

The estimates mentioned in this article are preliminary and
sometimes not too precise. At the contemporary level of development of production and
technologies, it is sometimes technically complicated and not always economically
expedient to transform tangible waste materials into consumable products.

To make a summary, it should be concluded that, despite the
economic crisis, Ukraine rather intensively engages in technological developments for
waste salvage. Certainly, Ukraine is only entering the long road of progress. The
corresponding works require considerable original costs and are quite risky. Therefore,
certain experts frequently state that only the wealthy countries can work on waste
recycling. However, this paradox is only half-true and does not fully relate to Ukraine.

The current situation is called forth by complexity and
singularity of the issue of waste recycling. However, insufficient efforts applied to work
out and implement the set of required research also substantially contribute to the
current hard situation.

As a rule, the decision on economic unprofitableness of the
project is based on deficient consideration of all the efficiencies. The factors of
efficiencies sometimes reveal themselves in adjacent economic sectors, in environment
safety, and health protection. In the long run, it is impossible to calculate the outcomes
of accelerated working off and exhaustion of the best nonrenewable natural resources.

That is why most developed countries set the general
political targets to establish economic, legal, and organizational system to encourage
waste recycling to acquire additional resources of raw materials. The law of Ukraine
"On waste materials" also stipulates for such an encouragement.

At the moment, the corresponding legal grounds are being
created. The standing committees of Verkhovna Rada currently consider amendments to tax
and administrative laws, which establish the first incentives and enforcements in respect
to resource-rich waste materials.

All this requires further comprehensive surveys on waste
materials, establishment of the corresponding database, certification and standardization
of secondary materials, generation of business plans based on the existing technological
solutions, as well as novel technological developments supported by the respective
marketing efforts.