Project duration: 2 September 2019 – 31 December 2019

Objective

The solution (technology)

The fast track project will enable a time- and cost effective transition into a valuable project in the next KAVA call, which will focus on disseminating the material as well as performing educational workshops for the target group in several countries. The focus of the fast track project is to bring new ways to communicate about mining and exploration.

Partnership

• Geological Survey of Sweden, SGU, Sweden (Lead Partner)
• LTU Business AB, Sweden
• Luleå University of Technology (LTU), Sweden
• Geologian tutkimuskeskus, GTK (Geological Survey of Finland), Finland

For more information, please visit the project website.

Project duration: 10 May 2019 – 31 December 2019

Objective

A considerable amount of energy is used by mining and mineral processing sector to mine and process the raw materials for further applications. The industry consumes 6-7% of total world energy, from which almost half goes for size reduction/comminution. Furthermore, it is estimated that the industry consumes 6-8 Billion m3 of water per annum. The industry, therefore, facing challenges including improving process and resource efficiency, access to energy and water, reduce carbon footprint as well as acceptance by the society (i.e., social license to operate), etc. Therefore, inventing and developing technologies, machinery, and processes to help in overcoming the challenges are paramount important. In one hand almost 50% of the energy consumption in mining goes to size reduction and on the other hand, the energy in comminution per ton of extracted ore increases as deeper and more competent ores are being extracted. That really motivates the mining industry to look at eco-efficient processes.

Comminution (size reduction) starts from extraction (drilling and blasting) to end of fine milling to provide appropriate particle sizes in each step for the downstream process(es). To improve resource efficiency and to reduce energy consumption, different strategies must be considered. One appropriate and promising technology is Microwave. The technology has revealed promising prospects in rock processing by taking to advantages over the variations among the electrophysical properties of minerals and rocks.

Engineering efforts have paved our way to develop techniques and apparatus for efficient microwave energy at significantly low level to be implemented in different areas of mining and mineral processing that includes; comminution, drying, magnetic and electrical separation, flotation, leaching/hydrometallurgy, roasting, vitrification, etc. Possibly the most interesting and challenging area is to seek for weakening/pre-weakening of rocks/slabs during mining and extraction and to prospect the effect of microwave technology in hard rock mining. In hard rock mining, the cyclic mining operation associated with high energy consumption and relatively high wear rate on the cutting tools and other extraction and comminution equipment. Comminution is extremely energy intensive and costly with high wear rates.

The main objectives herein are to collect all the information and know-how on microwave application in extracting and comminuting raw materials and to test and evaluate the potential of microwave assisted technology towards eco-efficient mining activities (i.e., effective excavation and comminution). That means from circular economy perspective, not only reductions in energy and water consumption are considered, but also a reduction in consuming wear material in machinery should be aimed (e.g., reducing wear in cutting tools and media consumption in crushing and grinding).

For decades, efforts were made to test and implement potential game-changing technologies for smart and innovative mine of the future. In long term strategy, developing and implementing f high-tech fully automated and continuous mining machinery with complete data collecting and digitalization infrastructure are the keys to have safe, lean and green mining activities that need investments in technologies and talents

The solution (technology)

The final outcomes would be collecting all intelligence, knowledge and know-how in the field of microwave application(s) and how the technology can be adapted or implemented towards resource efficiency, i.e., improving productivity, reducing energy and water consumption. The study will cover and elaborate all parameters (both instrumental design and raw material characteristics ones) that affecting microwave treatment of the raw materials to improve/optimize the processes of microwave processing. Furthermore, the report will touch and compare some other potential technologies that can compete with microwave technology, particularly, in the field of comminution.

The final report could be served as a guideline/roadmap to be used by EIT RawMaterials to proceed and define R&D and RTD projects for further development of microwave application in the mining industry.

Outcomes in Summary:

• Collecting know-how and procedures to show how the technology can assist excavation and comminution characteristics of rocks
• Impact of microwave on size reduction, energy consumption and equipment wear in extraction and comminution processes
• Predicting the effect of microwave irradiation on rock characteristics

Partnership

• Sandvik SRP AB, Sweden (Lead Partner)
• McGill University, Canada
• University of British Columbia, Canada

Project duration: 1 April 2017 – 31 March 2020

Objective

The solution (technology)

Contribution to strategic objectives of the KIC will be support of innovative processing techniques, enabling resource efficiency by turning impurities into valuable products, reducing energy consumption by intelligent translation of scientific output, enabling adapting technology,  and improving the cost-efficiency ratio of current industrial processes. This means that in the near future, MICRO ECOS will provide the EIT RM with an exemplary outcome, story and result. The right combination of partners and budget co-funding effort should give in this way the good expected result.In particular, MICRO ECOS has a balanced integration of the knowledge triangle: a R&D; SME as a Technology Provider for a large Company with huge global impact, closely involving world-class science from a Research Institute and implementing during the process, multidisciplinary and T-shaped education activities. MICRO ECOS is centred on the competitive market of raw materials treatment towards metal recovery covering extractive minerallurgy and metallurgy processes using a new electromagneticmetallurgy (EM-metallurgy) treatment.

Partnership

• Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Lead Partner)
• Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, CSIC (Spanish National Research Council), Spain
• Boliden Mineral AB, Sweden
• INNCEINNMAT S.L. (Ceinnmat), Spain

For more information, please visit the official webpage of the project.

Objective

The main objective of the Micro Ecros project is to solve the following  challenges:

• Recovery of metals in the flotation circuit is affected by sulphide species that interact with the reagents and are in consequence carried up to the froth unintendedly;
• Pyrite is one of the most common gangue sulphides present in mineral ores: c.a. 70%;
• Successful processing of complex sulphides is key to face the coming years of extractive technology;
• Pyrite accompanies flotation reducing processing efficiency unless successfully depressed.

The solution (technology)

The Project Output:

• A process and equipment that enables the selective separation of Pyrite before it reaches the flotation circuit;
• Lower cost in the flotation circuit – less reagent consumption, less air inlet and less energy consumption;
• Higher successful use of specific contact surface Bubble/Particle thus reducing the flotation costs and efficiency.

The Solution will:

• Separate pyrite before it reaches the flotation circuit and therefore will enable a cleaner mineral entering for flotation, boosting the recovery efficiency of flotation.

Partnership

• Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain
• Boliden Mineral AB, Sweden
• Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Objective

The 5 ECTS credits doctoral course on ‘Modern process data analytics by case studies on mineralogy driven control of the production chain from mine to products’ (MIDICON) will provide an introduction to the modern data analytics and tools, focus on their application to the control of the industrial minerals processing chain – and, prompt student to assess business opportunities from new applications of data analytics in the raw materials sector.

The course is supported by EIT RawMaterials funding. Course leader: Professor Sirkka-Liisa Jämsä-Jounela, Aalto University, Finland.

The solution (technology)

• Kick-off event combined with the 3-day-MIDICON workshop in Cornwall southwest England (UK): 4-6 April 2017. Site visit to the Imerys’ Kaolin production plant in Par Moor. Imerys’ activities in Cornwall focus on Kaolin (China Clay) extraction and processing with the UK being the world’s 3^rd largest producer and exporter of Kaolin.
• Online lectures on entrepreneurship in the industrial minerals sector and data analytics
• Assignments
• A 3-day MIDICON Summer camp in Aalto University (Finland): 29-31 August 2017

Application is required. Please click here to apply.

Enrollment deadline is 31 January 2017.

Course costs will be mostly covered by EIT RawMateruals funding including course fee, lunches, reasonable travel costs, and accommodation for three nights during the Workshop and Summer Camp. Detailed information will be delivered to the accepted participants.

Partnership

• Aalto University, Finland
• Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the Netherlands
• Outotec Oyj, Finland
• PREDICT, France
• IMA-Europe, Belgium

For more information about the enrolment, please contact Leena Hauhio.

To fin out more, please visit the official website.

Project duration: 1 January 2016 – 31 December 2018

Objective

The main objective of the project is to use Petrit-T, a high-quality industrial by-product from sponge iron manufacturing with little current utilization, as an inorganic binder raw material to yield geopolymer-based materials. This ceramic-like material has multiple uses in many applications including concrete elements, foamed concrete, thermal insulation material, and as a low-temperature ceramic.

Partnership

• Höganäs AB, Sweden (Lead Partner)
• Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium
• University of Oulu, Finland
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finland
• Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG), Slovenia

Project duration: 1 January 2019 – 30 June 2021

Objective

The solution (technology)

This knowledge can be applied  to analyse early stage technologies using a software tool that streamlines such analysis and enables quick screening possibilities.

Partnership

• Leiden University, The Netherlands (Lead Partner)
• Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. (Fraunhofer), Germany
• Chalmers tekniska högskola AB (Chalmers University of Technology), Sweden

For more information, please visit the project web page.

Objective

To provide local politicians and employees of municipalities with an understanding of good practices for governing exploration activities as well as the start-up of sustainable mining operations.

The solution (technology)

The project will bring together a diverse range of experts, from a wide range of organisations, as well as NGOs. This diverse grouping will assess the concerns of various stakeholders about the initiation of exploration or mining activities as well as assess contemporary knowledge and cases about good practices for exploration and mining. These assessments will then be developed into an information package, comprising advice and case examples, to local politicians and municipalities’ employees for governing exploration and the start-up of sustainable mining activities.

Partnership

• Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), Finland (Lead Partner)
• Boliden AB, Sweden
• Luleå University of Technology (LTU), Sweden
• Outotec Oy, Finland

Project duration: 01 January 2019 – 31 December 2021

Objective:

MineHeritage intends to reach society on the importance of raw materials through an historical approach. Using Europe as a common foreground, where raw materials have been explored and traded through time, we will show that technological developments increased the demand for certain raw materials, linking regions to social strategies of work and progress. Through the history of mining we will show the importance of raw materials in the development of Europe, European Culture and Society.

The solution (technology):

MineHeritage is a Wider Society Learning project that intends to use Cultural Heritage, Mining and Raw Materials to create popular educational tools for the dissemination of the importance of Raw Materials to society through historic periods. By developing a comprehensive roadmap of mining and raw materials since prehistory, linking European regions to the commercial routes of raw materials used at various times, we can entice school age children (13-19 yrs) and young adults (20-45) to explore history together, raw materials, technological development, society, new materials and cultural tourism using a web-based multilevel game and an Application for mobile devices.

Dissemination elements in the platform include videos produced by partners in their native language with subtitles in English, information collected by partners on important sites but also on unfamiliar mining explorations, booklets and brochures, news clippings and other captivating elements. The increased dissemination opportunities within partner countries by having information in local languages but also in English promotes cultural diversity in a unified European context of Raw Materials. The large number of partners involved will improve and create new lines of communication between different KIC partners and regions, being a positive incentive to create a common platform of knowledge and understanding.

Partners:

Universidade Nova de Lisboa (New University of Lisbon) – Faculty of Sciences and Technology (FCT NOVA), Portugal (Lead Partner)
Clausthal University of Technology, Germany
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy
Geologian tutkimuskeskus, GTK (Geological Survey of Finland), Finland
INESC TEC Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores do Porto (Institute for 51. Systems and Computer Engineering of Porto), Portugal
Politechnika Slaska (Silesian University of Technology), Poland
TalTech University, Estonia
Technical University of Kosice, Slovakia
Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, UPM (Technical University of Madrid), Spain
Università degli Studi di Padova (University of Padova), Italy
Université de Liège, Belgium
Université Grenoble Alpes, France
University of Zagreb – Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering (UNIZG-RGNF), Croatia

For more information, please visit the project website.