In the vast expanses of America’s mining operations, a quiet crisis is unfolding: the nation is discarding billions of dollars worth of critical minerals that could secure its technological and energy future. Researchers have uncovered that tailings—the waste material left after extracting primary ores—contain staggering amounts of elements like cobalt, nickel, germanium, and rare earths. These are essential for everything from electric vehicle batteries to defense systems, yet they’re being piled up or buried, exacerbating U.S. reliance on foreign suppliers, particularly China.

A recent study highlights how recovering even a small portion of these discarded minerals could transform domestic supply chains. By analyzing data from over 100 active mines, scientists estimated that tailings hold enough cobalt to meet 70% of annual U.S. demand, and sufficient rare earth elements to eliminate import dependencies entirely. This revelation comes at a time when geopolitical tensions are heightening concerns over supply vulnerabilities.

Uncovering the Hidden Wealth in Waste

The investigation, detailed in a report from ScienceDaily, involved geochemists and engineers who used advanced spectroscopic techniques to map mineral compositions in tailings. They found that traditional mining focuses on