Waste gangue contamination at Yangcheng Coal Mine in Shandong, where raw coal ash content reached 42.08%, has severely reduced product quality, wasted hoisting capacity and created large surface stockpiles. Around 4 Mt of coal reserves also remain locked beneath surface buildings, constraining conventional extraction methods and mine planning. MeiTeng Technology’s involvement signals a shift towards higher-precision coal–gangue separation and more intensive underground recovery, with direct implications for processing circuit design, waste handling and long-term environmental liabilities.

World’s 50 most valuable miners reached a combined market capitalisation of $2.17 trillion at end-July, with entry to the list now requiring $13.56 billion, more than four times the $3.2 billion threshold in 2020. China’s Zijin Mining surged 23.8% to $125 billion on guidance for a 68% jump in first-half net profit and a sixfold increase in lithium output to 43,000 tonnes LCE, while Russia’s Polyus slumped 37.6% after suspending dividends until 2030. Glencore’s adjusted H1 2026 EBITDA rose 86% to $10.1 billion, supported by a 15% copper output increase and volatile oil trading.

A $400 million conditional loan from the US Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital will help Sunrise Energy Metals build primary scandium mining at Syerston in New South Wales, plus metallisation and additive layer manufacturing capacity, targeting a 60‑tonne‑per‑year output in a market producing only about 80 tonnes globally in 2025. The package, part of a nearly $1 billion public‑private financing, gives the Department right of first offer on output to feed US defence and commercial users. For materials engineers, a reliable primary scandium stream could de‑risk alloy qualification and scale‑up for high‑strength aluminium and SOFC applications.