Projects

A Sustainable Ecosystem for the Innovative Resource Recovery and Complex Ore Extraction

Coordinator:

Technische Universitaet Bergakademie Freiberg [TUBAF] (Germany)

Description

XTRACT seeks to introduce the novel concept of the Zero Emission Mine of the Future, developing and validating innovative microinvasive technologies for sustainable and decarbonised extraction. XTRACT will add a highly innovative new alternative to the toolbox of how stockpiles and tailings are assessed, relieving the pressure on resources and contributing to the realization of EU Climate Neutrality Goals, with a significant benefit of emission reduction. XTRACT will introduce low-TRL green technologies of biomining and phytoremediation, particularly appropriate for mining waste piles and abandoned sites that represent a solution for mine waste remediation but also for the for the extraction and recovery of various precious metals.

Objective

• Automation of mineral prospecting and extraction in a complex mining context
• Ιntroduction of the novel concept of “precision mining” for the selective recovery of valuable metals from low-grade minerals and mine wastes
• Scaling and deployment of remote sensing systems and analytical resources to allow the systematic and remote monitoring of “hard-to-access” mining sites and waste deposits
• Enhancement and deployment of an open standards-based, trusted and certified digital repository, supporting data interoperability and enhancement of industrial symbiosis in the mineral recovery supply chain, fostering the transformation towards sustainable mining
• Evaluation of different mine sites and waste disposals. Demonstration of the feasibility (evidence-supported) of innovative technological solution supporting a green transition to the sustainable mining
• Organisation and facilitation of the uptake, replication and upscaling of the technological solutions developed by XTRACT
• Planning and facilitation of the exploitation of project results
• Communication and dissemination of the project’s scientific and technical results – Outreach to other R&D initiatives, end-users’ communities and the global mining environment for knowledge transfer and Market development through liaison and training activities

Contact the Xtract project