The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - July 3, 2024
Norge Mineraler has outlined 3.2 billion metric tons of resources in southern Norway enriched with metals critical to electric vehicles, clean energy, and aerospace.
Betolar is a Finnish materials company pioneering green mining technologies.
Anglo-Norwegian mineral exploration company Norge Mining and Finnish materials technology company Betolar have forged a partnership to explore solutions that increase the sustainability and value of producing critical minerals at the Storeknuten titanium-phosphate-iron-vanadium project in southwestern Norway.
Being advanced by Norge Mining's Norwegian subsidiary Norge Mineraler, Storeknuten hosts 3.17 billion metric tons of resources averaging 2.48% phosphorus pentoxide, 4.53% titanium dioxide, 3.7% magnetite (iron), and 0.07% vanadium pentoxide.
Phosphate and iron are key ingredients in lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) for electric vehicles, vanadium is used in redox flow batteries for renewable energy storage, and titanium is a critical metal used in strong and lightweight alloys.
Norge Mineraler has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Betolar to cooperate on creating sustainable mining solutions and support the green transition in Norge Mineraler's operations.
"Norge Mineraler has a clear vision to operate the most environmentally friendly and sustainable mine for the critical raw materials vanadium, phosphate and titanium," said Norge Mineraler CEO Olav Skalmeraas. "The cooperation with Betolar is a natural step towards that vision."
The companies say the MOU serves as a starting point for potential broader collaboration on lowering carbon dioxide emissions and sustainable tailings management.
"We are very happy about this partnership with Norge Mineraler AS. The company's decision emphasizes sustainability and the desire to develop processes in such a way that environmental safety is at the center of operations," said Pasi Karekivi, Betolar's business development director for mining and metals.
While the primary goal of the partnership is to find solutions to lower CO2 emissions at Norge Mineraler's critical raw materials mining operations in Norway, the companies will also look into ways to transform tailings into value-added products.
Betolar is a Finnish materials company pioneering green mining technologies.
Tailings, which are the waste material left behind after the valuable minerals have been extracted from pulverized rock, are typically stored on-site and are a waste management liability for mining companies.
Norge Mineraler and Betolar are exploring the potential for using a large part of the tailings from Norge's mining operations into geopolymer-based concrete.
Betolar already has a polymer-based product called Geoprime for making concrete without the need for cement, a product that is responsible for more than 5% of global CO2 emissions. The company says its Geoprime concrete is as strong as traditional cement concrete but comes with 80% less carbon emissions.
Not only could Geoprime concrete made from tailings be a value-added product for Norge Mineraler mines, but this product could also be used to fortify the storage facilities storing tailings not made into concrete, which would reduce risks associated with containment.
Betolar says Geoprime is also a lower-carbon, green alternative to cemented past backfill used to fill voids in underground mines.
"Providing sustainable and low carbon emission solutions to mining and metals industries is a strategic focus for Betolar," said Betolar CEO Tuija Kalpala. "We are excited to enter this cooperation with one of Norway's most significant critical minerals project under development in Eigersund and assist Norge Mineraler achieving their ambitious sustainability goals."
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
Reader Comments(0)