Responsable: Francisco Carranza Mora
Tipo de Proyecto/Ayuda: 6º Programa Marco de la U.E.
Referencia: FP6-500329
Web: http://cordis.europa.eu/projects/rcn/75241_en.html
Fecha de Inicio: 01-11-2004
Fecha de Finalización: 31-10-2008

Empresa/Organismo financiador/es:

• Commission of the European Communities (Research Directorate-General)

Socios:

• Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres (Dominique Morin)
• Tampere University of Technology (Jaakko Antero Puhakka)
• Technische Universitaet Berlin (Halit Z. Kuyumcu)
• Universität Duisburg-Essen (Wolfgang Sand)
• Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (Vassiliki Aggelatou)
• National Technical University of Athens (Tsezos Marios)
• Bioclear b.v. (Janneke Krooneman)
• Paques B.V. (Jacco Huisman)
• Wageningen University (Alfons J.M. Stams)
• Instytut Metali Niezelaznych (Andrzej Chmielarz)
• Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovacao (Ana Anselmo)
• De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd (Leon Krüger)
• MINTEK (Tony Pinches)
• University of Cape Town (Geoffrey Hansford)
• University of Stellenbosch (Douglas Eric Rawlings)
• Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Ricardo Amils)
• Lulea University of Technology (Eric Forssberg)
• MEAB Metallextraktion AB (Hans Reinhardt)
• Umea University (Börje Lindström)
• CellFacts Instruments Ltd (Crawford Dow)
• Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London (Bill Dudeney)
• Rio Tinto Technical Service Limited (Lucy Esdaile)
• University of Wales (D. Barrie Johnson)
• University of Warwick (Paul Richard Norris)
• Técnicas Reunidas, S.A. (Carlos Frías Gómez)
• Outokumpu Research Oy (Marja-Liisa Annikki Riekkola-Vanhanen)
• SA Umicore NV (Wouter Ghyoot)
• Skelleftea Kommun (Anders Norberg)
• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Violaine Bonnefoy)
• Universitaet Stuttgart (Julia Pflieger)
• PE Europe GmbH (Martin Baitz)
• Institute for Nonferrous and Rare Metals (Teodor Velea)
• Milton Roy Mixing (Florent Bouquet)

Equipo:

• Investigadores:
  • Alfonso Mazuelos Rojas

Becarios:

• Nombramiento de Becario:
  • Miguel Ángel Mejías Martín
  • José María Moreno Baquero
  • Natalia Moreno Bermejo

Resumen del proyecto:

This IP is aimed at "the production of tomorrow" and involves biotechnological research to provide "radical changes in the Basic Materials industry for cleaner, safer and more eco-efficient production". The objective is to develop sustainable solutions covering the whole life cycle of products and equipment. Technological breakthroughs will allow the integration of innovative biotechnology based processes for recovery of metals from primary materials such as ores and concentrates, and secondary materials such as mining wastes, metallurgical slags, scrap and combustion ashes.

Processes will be developed which give consideration for eco-design, eco- and renewable materials and zero waste, with the aim of protecting people and the environment. The biotechnologies to be investigated will include bio-leaching, - oxidation, -sorption, -reduction, -accumulation, -precipitation, -flotation, -flocculation and bio-sensors, as well as microbiological research. The ultimate objective will be the establishment of environmentally friendly biotechnologies, which are economic particularly at a small scale and will provide an alternative to current technologies such as roasting and smelting. The anticipated breakthroughs under the RTD programme will be commercially evaluated through integrated piloting of the new processes together with preliminary economic assessments.

This will provide a sound basis for decisions by industrial companies on whether to then proceed to commercial demonstration. The work will be enhanced by Training and Educational activities. The Project will adopt a multi-discipline approach involving mining companies, waste treatment facilitators and equipment/instrument suppliers. The Consortium has achieved a critical mass being comprised of 35 partners. A strong management structure will be put in place with a Management Committee mandated by a governing Council with representatives of all partners and the EC.