Project H2020-ID 645758, 2018 – 2022

Parteneri:
1. Teknologian tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy (VTT), Finlanda
2. VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK N.V. (VITO), Belgia
3. OPTIMIZACION ORIENTADA A LA SOSTENIBILIDAD SL (IDE), Spania
4. KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN (KUL), Belgia
5. Terrafame Group Ltd. (TERRA), Finlanda
6. Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG (TK), Germania
7. ResourceFull (RES), Belgia
8. BUREAU DE RECHERCHES GEOLOGIQUES ET MINIERES (BRGM), Franța
9. Skyscape Oy (SKYSC), Finlanda
10. JACOBS NV (JAC), Belgia/span>
11. COBRE LAS CRUCES SA (CLC), Spania (project exit date 12.02.2019)
12. National R&D Institute for Non-ferrous and Rare Metals – IMNR, Romania
13. Comité Académico Técnico de Asesoramiento a Problemas Ambientales (CATA), Belgia
14. The University of Exeter (EXE), UK
15. DMT GmbH & Co. KG (DMT), Germania
16. BOLIDEN MINERAL AB, Suedia (starting with 01.06.2019)

General objective Using a concept “4 PILOTS – 2 case studies”, NEMO develops, demonstrates and exploits new ways of recovery of sulfide mining waste. The 2 cases are the Sotkamo Ni-Co-Zn-Cu mine in Finland and the Luikonlahti processing plant in Finland; the 4 PILOTS include the recovery of valuable and critical metals, the safe concentration of hazardous elements, the removal of sulfur as sulfate salts, while using the residual mineral fraction in cement, concrete products and constructions. NEMO technology with almost zero waste will provide the EU with both direct and long-term indirect benefits. The first ranges from new resources (eg base metals: Cu, Zn, Ni, Au; critical metals: Co, Sc, Nd, Y, Sb; SCM and aggregates, etc.), CO2 savings from metal recovery and replacement Ordinary Portland Cement), creating new jobs, new income from multiplying previous benefits, while eradicating acid mine drainage and other environmental issues and ensuring an improved dialogue (framework) between industry and civil society, to achieve and maintain operating license for EU mines.

Specific objectives:
1. Definition, collection and characterisation of sulphide tailings sample; ;
2. Demonstration of how multi-metal sulphide tailings can be processed using various leaching, recovery and purification processes;
3. Evaluation of laboratory scale results for the selection of the suitable processing routes for multi-metal sulphide tailings;
4. Performance of mini-pilot tests to verify the design parameters determined on the lab scale;
5. Assessment of the technical and economic feasibility and benefits of determined processing routes for multi-metal sulphide tailings.

NEMO has set up an interdisciplinary consortium, which includes 8 industrial partners (2 mining, 4 engineering, 1 machine manufacturer and 1 construction materials company), 4 research institutes, 2 universities and 1 civil society group.

Within the project, INCDMNR-IMNR has the following tasks:
a) Characterization of the sulfide tailings and materials;
b) Mining waste processing by oxidation/leaching under pressure in neutral / alkaline media;
c) Extraction of metals from acidic solutions resulting from autoclave oxidation/leaching of mining waste by selective precipitation of Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Co.

The project website is here