The (European) mining industry is under great pressure due to a number of reasons, e.g. high number of injuries/fatalities and environmental accidents, bad reputation, low commodity prices, depleting resources and decreasing ore grades, etc. The only way to overcome these challenges is to completely “rethink” the process of traditional mining via progressively digitising mining operations and introducing ground-breaking innovations (e.g. remote controlled robots, autonomous drones, novel sensor systems, etc.), accompanied by the extensive use of data analytics and new forms of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). illuMINEation will illuminate important digitalization aspects in underground mining operations in order to achieve the next level of safety, environment and economic performance, and to retain and gain a social licence to operate. The project will develop a robust multi-level distributed IIoT platform (including cloud computing & distributed cloud management) that connects via wireless communication with the physical mining world, defined by massively installed low-cost all-embracing sensor networks. Advanced analytical algorithms will support the implementation of powerful, sophisticated automated control systems. Mobile user interfaces, dashboards, augmented and virtual reality as well as digital twins will be utilised for data visualisation and operational control. illuMINEation will ensure that all mining personnel receive the best possible information that the enormous amount of data has to offer, whilst ensuring all data is properly protected via a rigorous cyber security approach. The illuMINEation consortium provides the necessary resources and comprehensive skills and capabilities to operate across organizational boundaries with the aim to bring together the different parts of the entire digital mining business value chain and create cross-industry innovations.

On 16 March 2023 the EC published the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) proposal that sets “benchmarks along the strategic raw materials value chain and for the diversification of the EU supplies”. By targeting the domestic refining of three “strategic” battery-related CRMs, i.e., Ni, Co and Mn, the CICERO project addresses the second CRMA benchmark: i.e., > 40% domestic processing/refining. To tackle the twin problems of (1) Europe’s dependence on a few third countries (i.e., DRC, Indonesia, China) for the supply of Ni, Co and Mn for our NMC Li-ion battery production, and (2) the fact that these metals are currently produced at a huge cost in terms of environment, health and safety, CICERO puts in place a sustainable, cost-effective refining model for Ni, Co and Mn, and the downstream conversion into “made-in-Europe” NMC cathodes. The CICERO project is the first ever to develop a circular hydrometallurgical Ni, Co & Mn processing/refining scheme that uses methanesulphonic acid (MSA) – a commercial, green, REACH-compliant & affordable acid – rather than H2SO4. CICERO recovers, refines and converts Ni, Co and Mn from domestically available secondary raw materials: (a) post-mining raw materials (sulphide & laterite tailings) and (b) Ni/Co/Mn-bearing intermediates incl. MSP, FeNi, Ni-matte and Mn-anode sludge. To achieve this, CICERO develops a suite of novel metallurgical unit processes for advanced MSA leaching and solution purification, the conversion to battery-grade MSA salts, and the synthesis of NMC cathodes in MSA media, with sound reagent regeneration & iron recovery in line with the Twelve Principles of Circular Hydrometallurgy. This research is supported by advanced thermodynamic & kinetic modelling for solid-liquid & liquid-liquid equilibria relevant for Ni/Co/Mn processing/refining in MSA media. CICERO introduces a new paradigm for metallurgical processing/refining and increases society’s acceptance of, and trust in, sustainable CRM production in Europe.

NEXGEN-SIMS will be focusing on scale-up of promising technologies and demonstrating their potential at several large scale mining pilots, which will provide the mining industry the necessary means of addressing the future challenges in sustainable mining while at the same time NEXGEN-SIMS will be creating incitements and lowering the risk for investments associated with upgrading, retrofitting and replacing existing investments with carbon neutral technologies as well as introduction of new innovative solutions based on industrial IoT. Many fears that introduction of new and radical production systems (in our case, digitalization in combination with carbon-neutral mining systems) are associated with high investment costs that will make the European mining industry less competitive even though the facts clearly indicates the complete opposite. With NEXGEN-SIMS we intend to demonstrate that utilization of innovative solutions based on new implementations of cost-efficient connectivity can enable better monitoring, analytics, optimization and process control (primarily for the mining fleets), and that connectivity can enable introduction of new and improved optimization and automatization strategies of the unit operations associated with the material handling processes by means of carbon-neutral mining systems. The estimated potential with NEXGEN-SIMS in terms of increased productivity is large and has been estimated to be as high as 40%, which will contribute considerably to securing the existing raw materials production in Europe as well as securing the future supply and lead to unlocking of substantial reserves of new or of today unexploited resources.

For the purpose of creating digitalisation and automation solutions Arrowhead Tools adresses engineering methodologies and suitable integrated tool chains. With the global aim of substantial reduction of the engineering costs for digitalisation/automation solutions. Thus the Arrowhead Tools vision is: - Engineering processes and tool chains for cost efficient developments of digitalization, connectivity and automation systems solutions in various fields of application For the further and wider commercialisation of automation and digitalisation services and products based on SOA, Arrowhead Framework and similar technologies there is a clear need for engineerings tools that integrates existing automation and digitalisation engineering procedures and tool with SOA based automation/digitalisation technology. For this purpose the Arrowhead Tool’s grand challenges are defined as: - Engineering costs reduction by 40-60% for a wide range of automation/digitalisation solutions. - Tools chains for digitalisation and automation engineering and management, adapted to: 1. existing automation and digitalisation engineering methodologies and tools 2. new IoT and SoS automation and digitalisation engineering and management tools 3. security management tools - Training material and kits for professional engineers The results will create impact on: - Automation and digitalisation solution market - Automation and engineering efficiency and the SSBS market - Automation and digitalisation security - Competence development on engineering of automation and digitalisation solution

With an estimated volume of 600 Mtonne/yr and a historic stockpile of 28,000 Mtonne, sulphidic mining waste from the production of Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni, represents the largest volume of extractive waste in Europe. When poorly managed, these “tailings” may cause major environmental problems such as acid mine drainage. In 2016 EIP Raw Materials launched a “call to arms” to transform the “extractive-waste problem” into a “resource-recovery opportunity”, as “tailings” still contain valuable & critical metals. Using a “4 PILOTS – 2 case-studies” concept NEMO develops, demonstrates and exploits, therefore, new ways to valorise sulphidic tailings. The 2 cases are the Sotkamo Ni-Cu-Zn-REE/Sc mine in Finland and the Las Cruces Cu-mine in Spain; the 4 PILOTS are located at key points in the near-zero-waste flowsheet, encompassing the recovery of valuable & critical metals, the safe concentration of hazardous elements, the removal of sulphur as sulphate salts, while using the residual mineral fraction in cement, concrete and construction products. NEMO has established an interdisciplinary consortium, including 8 industrial partners (2 mining, 4 engineering, 1 machine manufacturing & 1 construction material company), 4 research institutes, 2 universities and 1 civil society group. NEMO’s near-zero-waste technology will provide the EU with both direct and long-term, indirect advantages. The former range from new resources (e.g. base metals: Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb; critical metals: Sc, Nd, Y, Sb; SCM and aggregates etc.), CO2 savings from metal recovery and the replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement), new job creation (> 150 FTEs), new revenues (> 200 M€/yr) while the latter represent the multiplication of the former benefits (cf. 28,000 Mtonne of these tailings), while eradicating acid-mine drainage and other environmental issues, and ensuring an enhanced dialogue (framework) between industry and civil society, to obtain and maintain the License to Operate mines in EU.