Development of a Waste Reduction Model for the Nigerian Solid Mineral Processing Industry

This study develops a waste reduction model tailored to the operational and regulatory context of the Nigerian solid mineral processing industry, addressing the absence of industry-specific waste minimisation frameworks for a sector characterised by high material waste ratios and limited environmental management maturity. Nigeria's solid mineral sector, encompassing processing operations for limestone, granite, tin, columbite, and coal in states including Plateau, Kwara, Nassarawa, and Zamfara, generates substantial quantities of solid waste, process water, and atmospheric emissions that pose environmental and community health risks. The waste reduction model is developed through a systematic three-phase research process: diagnostic phase involving waste characterisation studies at six representative processing facilities, framework design phase incorporating lean waste reduction, cleaner production, and industrial ecology principles, and validation phase through expert review and pilot application. The model incorporates a waste reduction opportunity matrix that maps waste streams to intervention options, a prioritisation scoring tool weighted by waste quantity, treatment cost, regulatory compliance risk, and implementation feasibility, and an implementation planning guide. Model application at a limestone processing site in Kwara State demonstrates waste reduction potential of approximately thirty-four percent of current solid waste generation volume. Keywords: waste reduction, solid mineral processing, cleaner production, waste characterisation, Nigeria