Dr Chris Broadbent02.09.2016

The Contribution Of EU Funded Research & Innovation Programmes To The Renaissance Of The European Mining Industry

12/10/2016, London

By Dr Chris Broadbent

Director - Wardell Armstrong International Ltd

Project Co-ordinator - FAME

30 Years of EU Funded R&I

Annual budget (in Billion €)

HORIZON 2020

• The European Union programme for research and innovation for 2014-2020 with a budget of €77 billion (in current prices that include inflation, comprising both the TFEU and Euratomparts)

• A core part of Europe 2020, Innovation Union & European Research Area:

− Responding to the economic crisis to invest in jobs and growth

− Addressing people’s concerns about their livelihoods, safety and environment

− Strengthening the EU’s global position in research, innovation and technology

• 20% of EU28 GDP will be from industry by 2020

• Aim: securing sustainable supplies of raw materials

• Launched in 2008, consolidated in 2011

• Non-energy, non-agricultural raw materials

• Connecting EU external and internal policies

• Integrated strategy (3 pillars)

• Introduced list of 14 CriticalRaw Materials (CRM) in 2010, updated 20 CRMs in 2014

EU Raw Materials Initiative

Critical Raw Materials (CRM’s)

H2020 TOPICS SO FAR (1)

2014 • Mining of small and complex deposits and alternative mining

• ¡VAMOS!, Real-Time-Mining, BioMOre

• Flexible processing technologies• FAME, Optimore

• Substitution of Critical Raw Materials (electronics)• INREP, INFINITY

• Raw materials policy support actions

BUDGET: 68 M€

H2020 TOPICS SO FAR (2)

2015• Deep mining on continent and/or in sea-bed• New sustainable exploration technologies and geomodels• New metallurgical systems• Substitution of Critical Raw Materials - materials under extreme

conditions• Raw materials policy support actions

BUDGET: 70 M€

H2020 TOPICS SO FAR (3)

2016• Sustainable selective low impact mining• New technologies for the enhanced recovery of by-products• Intelligent mining on land

• Raw materials policy support actions

BUDGET: 70 M€

H2020 TOPICS SO FAR (4)

2017• New sensitive exploration technologies• Processing of lower grade and/or complex primary and/or

secondary raw materials in the most sustainable ways• Sustainable metallurgical processes• Raw materials policy support actions

BUDGET: 75 M€

FAME Overview • Increase the competitiveness of European mining enterprises • Stimulate private engagement and investment in the European mining sector

Dissemination Exploitation

of Knowledge

GenerationExplore and Distribute

Marketing Plan

DisseminationPublic Awareness

Maximising ImpactEducation

Exploitation• Market Analysis• IPR management • Business plan

FAME Goals:• New flotation reagents for oxidic minerals• Optimised flotation regimes• New flotation cells for very fine grain flotation• Modular equipment supply on Build Own Operate

elements

WP7

PERFORMANCE INCREASE 10 TO 20% HIGHER MARKETABLE CONCENTRATE STIMULATING MINING + ATTRACTING INVESTORS

Skarn PegmatitesGreisen

WP2 Economic potential of skarn, pegmatite and greisen ore deposits and requirements

for profitable mining, Mineralogical variables significant for process flow design

WP5

Energy savings in physical mineral liberation + Enhancement of separation contrast for betterflotation recovery + Intensification of the processes + (Bio-) Leaching using fine grain activationEngineering/design at TRL5 of flexible, modular, economic and environmental friendly processingof skarn and greisen ores, at TRL 6 (mobile) of pegmatites including recovery of strategic elements

WP6 Smaller socio-ecological footprint for marketing European resources at a global scale,

“clean mining” + more raw material awareness and public acceptance

WP4 Flowsheet and basic

engineering of flexible technology for skarn ore processing Concentrate upgrading, by-product recovery and utilization of rejects

WP3 Flowsheet and basic

engineering of flexible technology for greisen-pegmatitic ore processing;Concentrate upgrading, lithium and metallic by-product recovery

WP1 + WP8Project Management

Ethics

• Enhanced pre-processing, fragmentation, sorting• Viability of bioagglomeration, bioflotation• Rapid techno-economic appraisals of mineral deposits• Valorisation of residues, Recovery of strategic elements

TARGETING SPECIFIC DEPOSIT TYPES:CRM FOCUS

• Which deposit classes in the EU contain significant “Critical Raw Material” Resources?

• Skarns• Greisens• Pegmatites

• Complex mineralogy• Frequently small

resources not economically viable using existing large scale process flow designs

FAME REFERENCE SITES

FAME DEPOSIT MINERALOGY

• Characterise the total mineralogical diversity and residency of specific elements and materials of interest within the differing ore types• The “Good” vs the “Bad”

• Understand the spatial characteristics of that mineralogy• Grain size, morphologies, modal quantities, the spatial

distribution within the ore bodies

MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

BOND WORK INDEX CHARACTERISATION AND TESTING

WAI Results Per STD Test

(kWh/ton)

University of Luleå- Ongoing

Field Test(kWh/ton)

Gonçalo 1 21.4 20.8

Gonçalo 2 19.2 17.1

Comparison of Bond Work Index “Field” and Standard Tests

PRE-CONCENTRATION TESTWORK

LNEG / GEOS

HIGH VOLTAGE PULSE (HVP) FRAGMENTATION

Figures:Left: Plasma channel along natural grain boundaries

(HVP technology)

Right: Conventional crushing, FDF

WORK LED BY BRGM

HVP - ELECTROFRAGMENTATION

GOAL : LOWER ENERGY COSTS: AVOID “FINES” GENERATION

TESTWORK BY BRGM ON TWO FAME REFERENCE ORES (Gonçalo – Li Pegmatite

and Tabuaço – W Skarn)

Initial Results Encouraging → lower energycosts, improved recovery → innovativeprocess flow sheet.

CONCLUSION

Role of EU Research in European Mining Sector

• Major Funder of R&I is Greater than 80% of European Research Level

• Import Globally Within the Mining Sector

• Example of EU Project – FAME: Brings Together Expertise from Across EuropeMaintains Skills in Europe Can Assist and Fast track Mine DevelopmentsEU: Europe is Open For Mining

EXPOITATION AND DISSEMINATION

•What is Expected of FAME

•Patents / Other

•Scientific Papers

• Impact on GDP

• Impact on JobsNew MinesManufacturing

FAME CONSORTIUM DRIVEN BY INDUSTRY

• COLT RESOURCES – PORTUGAL• FAME HELPING TO DELIVER BUSINESS PLAN

• GEOMET – CZECH REPUBLIC• FAME RESEARCH SHORTENS TIME TO BFS AND

REOPENING

• SAXORE - GERMANY• FAME RESEARCH CAN IDENTIFY BY-PRODUCTS AND

EXPLOITATION ROUTE

• WOLF - UK• FAME HELP TO REDUCE OPERATING COSTS / IMPROVE

RECOVERY???

BREXIT

• WHAT HAPPENS TO UK R&I

• EU WILL CONTINUE TO FUND A SUCCESSOR TO H2020

• WILL UK STILL BE ABLE TO JOIN CONSORTIA?

• COMMODITY PRICES – NOT INFLUENCED BY BREXIT

CONTRIBUTION OF EU FUNDING TO RENAISSANCE OF EUROPES MINING INDUSTRY

• BEGINS TO REVERSE A LONG DECLINE• WILL HELP KEEP SKILL BASE INTACT• DESIRE TO HAVE A EUROPEAN SUPPLY

OF RAW MATERIALS (Esp. CRM’s)BUT

WILL THERE BE NEW MINES?JURY OUT → COME BACK < 2020

FAME Co-ordinator: Wardell Armstrong International Ltd