Website: https://www.vtt.fi/
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland ltd is a non-profit government organisation established by law and operating under the auspices of the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy. VTT is a multitechnological research organisation providing high-end technology solutions and innovation services.
From its wide knowledge base, VTT can combine different technologies, create new innovations and a wide range of world-class technologies and applied research services, thus improving its clients’ competitiveness and competence. VTT’s activities are focused on three areas: Knowledge intensive products and services, Smart industry and energy systems, and Solutions for natural resources and environment. VTT is impactdriven, with the following value propositions: Empowerment by digitalisation; Sustainability from smart communities; Disruptive industrial ecosystems; Clean energy systems; Prosperity from natural resources.
VTT Group is the largest public applied research activity in Northern Europe with a staff of 2600 and turnover M€279. VTT has 70 years of experience in addressing the needs of industry and the knowledgebased society. Over the years, VTT has participated in more than 1000 European R&D Framework Programme projects, within various thematic programmes.
VTT is interested in networking and in the development of new hydrometallurgical process concepts by utilizing its excellent know-how and research facilities, such as bench and pilot scale facilities (autoclaves and separation/purification units) operated both in batch or continuous mode. The output will be used for scaling up of promising methods. VTT has experience on developing new innovative solutions for byproduct metals, precipitates, slags, and wastes generated by metallurgical industry and mining operations.
Our competences have focused on enabling hydrometallurgical technologies (leaching, precipitation, cementation, liquid-liquid extraction, electrochemistry, and bioprocessing) and waste treatment (characterization, recycling, stabilization, and landfills). Process development is accompanied by advanced thermodynamic modelling and flowsheet simulations (ChemSheet, ChemApp). The advanced computational tools allow us to accurately model the chemical equilibrium in a complex multicomponent system including the kinetic limitations. The goal is to improve recovery of metals from low grade ores and industrial residues and improve resource efficiency in downstream processing. VTT possesses a far-ranging and fruitful history in co-operating with major companies in mining and minerals sector particularly in the following areas:
- Hydrometallurgical process development for recovery of metals, such as Ni, Co, Zn, Cu, from low grade ores, tailings, industrial residues, and other complex sources.
- New ways of processing and combinations of methods
- Bioprocessing of low grade ores and tailings (metals and P)
- Recovery of critical and scarce metals like REE and Au by nonconventional methods
- Waste and regulations, waste stability and stabilization
- Secondary materials processing for reuse. Material technology and value chains
- Water recycling in hydrometallurgical processes
- Measurement and control in mineral processing
- Utilisation, treatment, safe management, characterisation of mine waste, mine closure
- Purification and recycling of Li.
- Advanced thermodynamics (equilibrium and kinetics modelling e.g. ChemSheet program)