PROJECTS
EXPOMINE Project Description
Α beneficiation methodology is proposed within EXPOMINE project to replace landifilling of residues, processing by-products and waste from mining and metallurgical sector. This methodology includes:
- The pre-treatment of the tailings provided by PIZARRAS MATACOUTA for effective analysis and quantification of the beneficiation potential.
- The recovery of Platinum and Rare Earth elements using a low acidity process developed by MONOLITHOS.
EXPOMINE aligns with circular economy operation principles, offering substantial value by the exploitation of a residual material source. The project triggered and assessed (by IPCONTROL) the social, environmental and economic prosperity of the EU by easing the situation in disposing mining waste and contributing to the securement of the supply chain of critical raw materials (Pt, REEs) which are primarily imported in the EU from third countries. The supply of these metals is critical for the EU which currently faces an increasing supply/demand deficit (e.g. 40 tn deficit for Pt in 2019).
MONOLITHOS participation role
MONOLITHOS acted as technology provider and commercial partner for EXPOMINE and undertook the leaching and Pt/REE production stages. The leaching process was adapted to the new feed and upscaled for mass metal recovery. MONOLITHOS patented hydrometallurgical process that was optimized resulted in high recovery of REEs and Pt with low waste generation and high energy efficiency.
Collaborators
