Sustainable Mining

Introduction

Brazil and Sweden are both strong mining nations with several ongoing successful collaborations in sustainable mining. Both are stimulated by public funding and through direct cooperation funded by the collaborating companies. This environment creates a solid foundation to build an intense collaboration.

Main areas

The current initiative intents to increase the number of stakeholders involved in bilateral projects and increase the focus areas to include the following themes:

  • Reduced waste from mining;
  • Circular economy and recovery of critical metals and materials from waste;
  • Dam safety;
  • Postprocessing and remediation;
  • Fossil-free mining.

There are already ongoing activities within Digital Mine, Sustainable water management and Rock mechanics and Seismicity so they have not been included in the list of priorities.

Goals

In the long-term, the theme-oriented workshops, technical visits, and the participation in planned national events aim to stimulate a growing understanding of competencies. There is also the need and knowledge about instruments of collaboration. Thus, all of this will contribute to generate a robust project portfolio within the identified themes.

Project Approved:

An example of a newly approved collaboration project is “Reverse iron oxide magnetic ultrasonic nanobubble-flotation” (RIO-MUN). This project is going to conduct fundamental surface analyses on various reagents adsorption, mainly collectors, and examine those reagents in a united. Combining these methods as a united system and considering new reagents can potentially open a new window for processing ultrafine particles. An innovative structure that this project at Luleå University of Technology (LTU) is going to address them in collaboration with Nouryon, ITV-Vale, and the University of São Paulo (USP). The project was approved in 2020. 
In general, RIO-MUN outcomes can release a new strategy for processing ultrafine particles from different plants, and potentially can: Improve the kinetic of process and possibly enhance the process throughout Improve the recovery of fine/ultrafine hematite Increase the overall efficiency of hematite Reduce environmental issues.

Participating Research Institutes and Universities

Participating Industries and Startups

For more information on cooperation and activities, please contact: