Mining industry to benefit from Nordic research funding

• The Search research project, aimed at developing best practices for a gender-equal Nordic mining industry, will be run from Luleå University of Technology in Sweden. The project will also be mapping the current situation and, on the basis of its research findings, proposing measures aimed at improving the gender balance in the mining industry. Search will receive DKK 1.8 million in funding.

• Greenbas, run by Innovation Centre Iceland, is about initiating and optimising the extraction of volcanic basalt for the production of basalt fibre for use as filler material in concrete and polymers. Project researchers will also study the possibility of blending basaltic raw material with other materials to achieve optimal material characteristics for a number of uses, including tomorrow’s buildings. The project has been allocated DKK 4.8 million.

• The Wascius project, to be run by the Technical Research Centre of Finland, will conduct research into sustainable water use in the mining and refinement process. The project will study the possibility of water recycling as well as the viability of using closed cycles for water use. Wascius has been allocated DKK 5.0 million.

• The Crusmid 3D project, to be run by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, will carry out research on the development of sophisticated geophysical and geological three-dimensional models designed to yield a clearer picture of the ore potential in certain areas of Greenland. The project has been allocated DKK 1.9 million.

• The Platprobe project will study types of mineralisation containing the metals nickel, copper and platinum. The project, which will be run by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, will study how this type of mineralisation occurs. This ore type offers great potential in the Arctic regions of the Nordic countries. The project has been allocated DKK 2 million.

NordMin, a Nordic network of expertise for a sustainable mining and mineral industry

The research funds will be allocated by NordMin, a Nordic network of expertise for a sustainable mining and mineral industry which acts as a platform for existing and future Nordic collaboration in the area. Its task is to develop and present an increasingly sustainable, world-leading Nordic mining and mineral industry with the aim of contributing to green growth in the Nordic region and Europe as a whole.

NordMin will be funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers from 2014 to 2016 and coordinated by Luleå University of Technology in Sweden.

For further information, please contact Sabine Mayer, Project Coordinator, NordMin, Tel: +46 920-49 24 28, email: sabine.mayer@ltu.se, or Pär Weihed, Professor, Luleå University of Technology, Tel. +46-706737077, email: par.weihed@ltu.se.