The consortium with 16 partners coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is multidisciplinary covering well the disciplines of geology, mining, minerals processing, microbiology, thermodynamics, chemistry, water and environmental sciences, sustainability, process modelling and simulation in close cooperation between academia and industry.

Partners discussed the main technical issues through the presentation of the activities in each WP. Work to be done during the first semester of the project was scheduled. Outotec hosted the kick-off meeting at its research centre in Pori, where partners also could attend the laboratory and pilot plant tour.

The EU Horizon 2020 ITERAMS -project intends to reinvent the role of water and waste in mining. The project targets significantly reducing water consumption by circulating process waters as well as the amounts of tailings waste through the valorization of the mineral matrix. Developed water and waste efficient concepts will be jointly validated by industrial and research partners at partners’ mine sites in Finland, Portugal and either Chile or South Africa.

Created knowledge is used for the industrially relevant water recycling testing protocol development. New developed holistic water and waste concepts and systems result in higher technical, economic, and environmental performance in raw materials production. After ITERAMS, the EU has the potential to be at the forefront of minimal waste, minimal energy and minimal water consumption in the mining sector.

You can read the original press release here.