The company Maprise has launched a project for the valorization of mining waste in Tharsis, aiming to extract gold and silver. Construction of a state-of-the-art treatment complex will begin by the end of this year on the La Tiesa estate, which will process approximately ten million tons of mining residues and pyrite ash.
The initiative, with an investment of around 60 million euros, has a minimum operational horizon of a decade. The complex will be located on a 108-hectare site and will allow the recovery of precious metals left in the landfills of the former Filón Sur exploitation and nearby pyrite voids.
This project seeks to carry out the entire refining cycle in the area, generating added value and economic impact in the Andévalo region. Previously, Maprise had considered exporting these materials to China, but now it is committed to local processing.
The industrial complex will integrate several plants, including a raw material treatment plant, a water treatment station, and a waste deposit. It will use techniques such as oxidation, chlorination, and leaching to obtain a semi-pure gold and silver alloy. Additionally, other metals such as copper, cobalt, zinc, and lead can be recovered, considered critical raw materials by the European Union.
The Regional Government of Andalusia has declared the proposal of strategic interest for the community and integrated it into its Project Acceleration Unit. The operation is expected to generate around 50 direct jobs and 240 indirect jobs, in addition to improving local infrastructure.
This project aligns with the National Exploration Program of the Central Government to search for critical minerals and evaluate valorizable mining waste, positioning the Andalusian Pyritic Belt as an important metallogenetic zone.
