SOLVOMET/SIM2 KU Leuven researchers developed a process to remove trace concentrations of Cd, Zn and Mn from simulated diluted mine waters via foam separation. The work was published in the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy.
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With an estimated volume of 600 Mtonne/yr and a historic stockpile of 28,000 Mtonne, sulphidic mining waste from the production of Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni, represents the largest volume of extractive waste in Europe. When poorly managed, these “tailings” may cause major environmental problems such as acid mine drainage. In 2016 EIP Raw Materials launched a “call to arms” to transform the “extractive-waste problem” into a “resource-recovery opportunity”, as “tailings” still contain valuable & critical metals. Using a “4 PILOTS – 2 case-studies” concept, NEMO develops, demonstrates and exploits, therefore, new ways to valorise sulphidic mining waste. The 2 cases are the Sotkamo Ni-Co-Zn-Cu mine in Finland and the Luikonlahti processing facility in Finland; the 4 PILOTS are located at key points in the near-zero-waste flowsheet, encompassing the recovery of valuable & critical metals, the safe concentration of hazardous elements, the removal of sulphur as sulphate salts, while using the residual mineral fraction in cement, concrete and construction products. NEMO has established an interdisciplinary consortium, including 8 industrial partners (2 mining, 4 engineering, 1 machine manufacturing & 1 construction material company), 4 research institutes, 2 universities and 1 civil society group. NEMO’s near-zero-waste technology will provide the EU with both direct and long-term, indirect advantages. The former range from new resources (e.g. base metals: Cu, Zn, Ni, Au; critical metals: Co, Sc, Nd, Y, Sb; SCM and aggregates etc.), CO2 savings from metal recovery and the replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement), new job creation, new revenues from the multiplication of the former benefits, while eradicating acid-mine drainage and other environmental issues, and ensuring an enhanced dialogue (framework) between industry and civil society, to obtain and maintain the License to Operate mines in EU.
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News
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Social LCA in the European Union, a tool to measure the social impacts of technology implementation (27 November 2020)
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Bioheapleaching pilot plant in Finland starts operation
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P. Xanthopoulos wins “Best Oral Presentation Award” at 2020 Intern. AMD Conf.
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Discussing progress and challenges during the digital NEMO M30 consortium meeting
Partners in the Spotlight
Interview
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Meet our NEMO colleague: Jérôme Jacob (BRGM)
Jérôme Jacob works in BRGM, the French geosurvey as a bioprocess engineer ...
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Meet our NEMO colleague: Carmen Falagán Rodríguez (University of Exeter)
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Meet our NEMO colleague: Anders Sand (Boliden)
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Meet our colleague: Piet Wostyn (SOLVOMET – SIM² KU Leuven)
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Meet our NEMO colleague: Isadora Reis Rodrigues (KU Leuven)
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Meet our NEMO colleague: Bernd Teigler (DMT GmbH & Co. KG, Germany)
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Meet our NEMO colleague: Andrea DI MARIA (KU Leuven)
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Meet our NEMO colleague: Liesbeth Horckmans (VITO)
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Meet our NEMO colleague: Kaisa Kiipula
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Meet our NEMO colleague: María Rueda Verano (IDENER)