Alternative Sources of Critical Minerals
As part of the US–Ukraine minerals agreement, Ukraine plans to offer Washington not only access to classic greenfield deposits, but also industrial waste from its mining and metallurgical industries.
Deputy Minister of Economy Yegor Perelygin, who also serves on the Board of Directors of the American-Ukrainian Investment Fund, emphasized that Ukraine is rethinking its “waste” as a new raw material base.
“What was considered ballast for decades is actually a new resource: without opening new quarries, we can extract strategic metals and simultaneously neutralize historical environmental damage,” Perelygin explained.
What Can Be Extracted from Waste?
Ukraine has significant potential to supply the US and global markets with critical minerals essential for the green transition and defense technologies.
Key sources include:
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Ash from thermal power plants → gallium, scandium, germanium
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Tailings of metallurgical ores → cobalt, tellurium, vanadium, tungsten, gold, silver
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Tailings of mineral sands → rare earth elements
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Red sludge (from alumina production) → aluminum-related by-products
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Phosphogypsum (from fertilizer production) → rare metals & construction applications
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Mining and uranium waste → critical inputs for nuclear energy and defense
Advantages of Recycling Over New Mining
According to Perelygin, processing industrial waste has multiple benefits compared to opening new mines:
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Faster and cheaper: Uses existing infrastructure, logistics, and power grids.
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Environmental benefits: Reduces disturbed land area and neutralizes toxic sludge.
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Lower risks: Helps prevent environmental accidents caused by old industrial waste.
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Dual effect: Provides raw materials while simultaneously cleaning up industrial legacies.
Strategic Significance for the US and Ukraine
The US is actively seeking to diversify its supply of critical raw materials needed for:
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batteries and electric vehicles,
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aviation and space technologies,
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electronics production,
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defense applications.
Ukraine, with its vast industrial legacy, offers an untapped source of minerals without the high costs and environmental footprint of new extraction. This creates a win-win opportunity:
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Ukraine modernizes and reduces ecological risks,
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the US secures access to alternative supplies beyond China and Russia.
