The G7 missed an easier fix for critical mineral security
Australia and its allies are wasting critical minerals already in the system — and the cheapest, fastest fix is recovery, not mining.
Every year, Australian and allied smelters discard critical minerals essential for everything from solar panels to fibre optic cables. Elements like bismuth, selenium and indium are treated as "penalty elements" and lost to slag heaps and waste streams, even as governments scramble to secure new supply sources.
The G7's new "Critical Minerals Action Plan" announced in Canada reflects growing alarm over China’s weaponisation of its role in these supply chains. But the focus on opening new mines misses a more immediate opportunity: recovering a range of critical materials we're already mining but currently waste.
Unlike lithium or cobalt, elements such as selenium, bismuth and indium are not specifically pursued by miners. Instead, they are found in base metal concentrates — the feedstock used in smelters — and are often considered penalty elements due to their potentially negative impact on downstream smelting and refining processes.
These elements are typically recovered as by-products during the mining and processing of more commercially significant metals like copper, lead and zinc. However, during processing, they are frequently lost in industrial waste streams — including slag, anode slimes, flue dust and spent electrolyte solutions. By installing secondary "recovery circuits", these waste products can be reprocessed, unlocking new supply.
