TY - JOUR

T1 - Enhanced mineral weathering as a carbon sequestration tool in the mining sector: Current and future field trials and experiments

AU - Lazorenko, Georgy

AU - Kruglikov, Alexander

AU - Kasprzhitskii, Anton

N1 - The authors acknowledged the support by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (grant No. FSUS-2024-0027).

PY - 2026/6/19

Y1 - 2026/6/19

N2 - Enhanced mineral weathering (EMW) has emerged as a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy, leveraging the natural dissolution of silicate minerals to sequester atmospheric CO2. The mining sector, with its abundant production of reactive tailings and waste materials, presents a unique opportunity for large scale EMW implementation. This perspective compiles and discusses evidence from recent field experiments on surficial accelerated weathering and mineralization at mines, evaluates controls on kinetics (mineralogy, grain size, hydrology, etc.), and maps near term opportunities for deployment at industrial sites. These insights are integrated into a practical framework that favors low energy approaches, identifies key barriers, and sets a research agenda centered on process integration, life cycle assessment, and cost optimization. By combining lessons from current field trials with design principles for future experiments, the paper offers a forward-looking perspective and research roadmap to translate surficial EMW's theoretical capacity into verifiable, durable CDR for the mining sector.

AB - Enhanced mineral weathering (EMW) has emerged as a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy, leveraging the natural dissolution of silicate minerals to sequester atmospheric CO2. The mining sector, with its abundant production of reactive tailings and waste materials, presents a unique opportunity for large scale EMW implementation. This perspective compiles and discusses evidence from recent field experiments on surficial accelerated weathering and mineralization at mines, evaluates controls on kinetics (mineralogy, grain size, hydrology, etc.), and maps near term opportunities for deployment at industrial sites. These insights are integrated into a practical framework that favors low energy approaches, identifies key barriers, and sets a research agenda centered on process integration, life cycle assessment, and cost optimization. By combining lessons from current field trials with design principles for future experiments, the paper offers a forward-looking perspective and research roadmap to translate surficial EMW's theoretical capacity into verifiable, durable CDR for the mining sector.

KW - Carbon dioxide removal

KW - Enhanced mineral weathering

KW - Mine tailings

KW - Mineral carbonation

KW - Ultramafic mining waste

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105030060303

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/b293a262-acd2-36eb-a8c3-7f43e87deacc/

U2 - 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137267

DO - 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137267

M3 - Article

VL - 392

JO - Separation and Purification Technology

JF - Separation and Purification Technology

SN - 1383-5866

M1 - 137267

ER -