INN4MIN PROJECT
Project Coordinator: FEUP/CERENA
Total Project Budget: 1 M€
Start date: 01.05.2022
Duration: 3 years
ABOUT
The project's main objective is to research and develop clean and eco-friendly methods to apply to gold minerallurgical extraction processes (comminution, separation techniques, and hydrometallurgy), contributing to the sustainable use of raw materials.
Following circular economy principles, a particular focus will be given to recovering gold from secondary sources like electronic waste, enhancing the interest in gold recycling from discarded Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). The re-mining concept drives a second key research topic, the recovery of gold from old mine tailings using cost-effective processes.
Recycling is mandatory to secure raw materials access, improve resource management, energy efficiency, and environmental impacts.
The project can also contribute to climate protection by saving primary raw materials through tailings and electronic scrap processing.
The European Union states have committed to a climate alliance to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared to 1990. Municipal waste management could save up to 114 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents by that year. The identified savings potential of European waste management is high.
Finally, as the recovery of gold from secondary resources is insufficient to cover demand, we expect that the developed processes will also apply to primary resources like ore deposits.
Objectives
Study physical processing methodologies to remove barren material from electronic waste and ores. Development of a cost-effective prototype device, improving the rejection of sterile material from electronic waste. Assess the applicability of greener reagents to the gold froth flotation.
Exploit sterile material separation and initial hydrometallurgical steps to recover additional metals and critical raw materials like Cu, Ag, Li, Co, Ta, Ga and Rare Earths from primary and secondary sources.
Develop an action plan to promote good practices and better information for citizens. Implement clustering actions to disseminate sustainable and innovative methods applied to the raw materials industry. Set collaborative actions with other projects and networks.
Design a hybrid hydrometallurgy approach to combine gold processing from ores and from electronic waste (mainly from Printed Circuit Boards – PCBs). Optimization of the leaching strategies based on the application of eco-friendly solutions.
Assess the feasibility of Electric Pulse Fragmentation (EPF) to increase the liberation of gold and its effect on the subsequent processes.
The impact of a comminution EPF-enhanced pathway will be compared to conventional comminution.
Impacts
Application of eco-friendly processes during the physical processing of gold;
Reduction of reagents consumption;
Increase critical raw materials recovery to improve the security of the supply chain of future-oriented technologies like Co and Li for automotive batteries;
Increase the public trust regarding the raw materials industry;
Identify strategies to promote recycling;
Establish a network dedicated to the promotion of innovative methodologies in the raw materials industry;
Reduction of environmental impacts due to the application of greener reagents in an eco-friendly strategy;
Introduce a more exciting business concept for gold hydrometallurgy;
Increase Au liberation from complex ores;
Lower energy consumption during the comminution stage;
Improve the performance of the subsequent processing stages;