Can waste from copper mines help the roofing industry

Waste material offers prospect of commercial operation.

Extracting copper from the Upper Michigan copper mines is a mechanical process during which a large amount of waste material is produced. The waste material comes into the shape of millions of cubic metres of sand that still contain enough copper and other metals to generate a fungicidal and algaecidal effect, making it ideal for roofing applications. The mining company and university researchers have joined forces to devise a clever way to make the sand bond well to the tar paper, offering the prospect of a commercial operation in which much of the waste material could be successfully recycled for this purpose.