The Soviet mining industry says it is open to offers from its western counterparts to generate new mining projects, update antiquated mining technology and reclaim metal from waste. At an east-west steel and alloys conference held in Prague recently, a representative from the Soviet non-ferrous metals industry appealed for western assistance in reclaiming metals from more than 14,000 million tonnes of waste rock dumped at mine sites over the years.
Another 400 million tonnes of slag, which has a higher metal content than some of the ore now being mined in the Soviet Union, could also be reprocessed, she said. The slag contains metals like nickel, cobalt, molybdenum and vanadium.
Although the Soviet mining industry tends to be secretive about its activities, a more peaceful global climate in recent months has allowed the industry to open up somewhat.
In response, Dingman Industries (ASE), one of the first Canadian mining companies to accept the challenge of an east-west joint venture, recently finalized an agreement to process a stockpile of arsenic-rich gold concentrates from several mines in the Republic of Kazakhstan (T.N.M., Oct. 1/90).
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