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Sustainable, decarbonised co-extraction of vanadium and titanium minerals from Europe's low-grade vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite deposits - AVANTIS

Project rationale

AVANTIS‘ rationale is that Europe has a multitude of unexploited, low-grade V-bearing titanomagnetite deposits in Finland, Sweden, Greenland, Norway, Poland and Ukraine. However, these deposits have a complex “spiderweb-like” mineral assemblage. Without selective blasting, selective fragmentation and pre-concentration technologies to separate the Ti-rich ilmenite grains from the V-bearing magnetite, these deposits are not economically viable. Supported by a bespoke forensic geometallurgy, AVANTIS will develop a novel selective-blasting approach that allows for rock excavation with increased mineral liberation at the blasting stage, and reduced energy demand in the crushing and grinding stages. Likewise, AVANTIS designs tailored, water-free and water-lean pre-concentration technologies that can produce two distinct pre-concentrates: (1) ilmenite-rich, Ti-pre-concentrate and (2) ilmenite-free, V-pre-concentrate.

What are V and Ti used for?

  • tubes and pipes to carry chemicals due to highly corrosion resistance
  • aerospace and wind turbines due to great strength-to-weight ratio
  • nuclear applications
  • battery applications (lithium-ion batteries and V Redox Flow Batteries)
  • heat exchangers
  • etc.

How to address the EU's weak position in V and Ti value chains?

The EU is 100% import reliant  for Ti (metal), with a strong dependency on China and Russia. For V, this IR could not be calculated by the EC, although it is clearly also very high (once more, China and Russia are the dominant players).

There is no primary V extraction in the EU at present, although there are plans in Finland to recover V from steelmaking slags from 2026. It is estimated that for 2016-2021 the EU imported 1.5 Mt/y Ti (incl. TiO2 pigment, Ti metal) and 12.7 kt/y V. The good news is that, based on known domestic resources, the EU can supply its growing needs for V and Ti.

Ilmenite deposits
 

At present the only large-scale primary extraction of Ti-bearing minerals in geographical Europe is happening in Rogaland province in Norway, where AVANTIS partner Titania AS operates the Tellnes mine, a high-grade ilmenite mine of the magmatic type (grading 18 wt% TiO2, as present in ilmenite, FeTiO3). The Tellnes deposit was discovered in 1954, with production starting in 1960. Tellnes is an open-pit mine, producing 580 kt/y of ilmenite concentrate (data by Geological Survey of Norway8) that is sold for downstream processing. It is one of the largest Ti deposits in the world. There is currently no Ti metal production in Europe.

Low-grade, complex V-bearing titanomagnetite deposits (Ti-V-Fe-(P)) hold the key

The high-grade Tellnes ilmenite mine where ilmenite is the main ore mineral and is easy to extract is not representative of the other Ti deposits in Europe, or even the rest of the world. The global reserves of Ti-rich oxide minerals such as ilmenite (FeTiO3) and rutile (TiO2) are about 62 and 880 million tonnes, respectively, while the global reserves of vanadiferous/V-bearing titanomagnetite deposits are 58 billion tonnes: i.e., far more than the reserves of the deposits where Ti is extracted from Ti-rich oxides (ilmenite and rutile). However, at present there is no commercial co-valorising of V and Ti from V-bearing titanomagnetite [Ti-V-Fe-(P)] deposits.

AVANTIS case studies of titanomagnetite and other deposits/mines

Europe has a multitude of V-bearing titanomagnetite (Ti-V-Fe-(P)) deposits: Finland (e.g., Otanmäki & Vuorokas, Mustavaara, Kauhajärvi), Sweden (e.g., Routivare), Norway (e.g., Lauvneset, Selvåg), Greenland (e.g., Isortoq, Sinarsuk), Poland (e.g., Krzemianka and Udryn), and Ukraine (e.g., Stremyhorodske/Nosachiv and Fedorivske). There are more oxide-rich deposits in France, Portugal, Slovakia, Albania, Spain, Bulgaria and Romania. As highlighted by the USGS, these deposits comprise complex ores that are very difficult to beneficiate with current extraction and pre-concentration methods. This is due to the spiderweb-like mineral assemblage where ilmenite occurs as both (1) large external granules and (2a) sandwich exsolutions and (2b) trellis exsolutions appearing within the V-bearing magnetite gains.

Without novel selective blasting, fragmentation and pre-concentration, it is almost impossible to separate the Ti- and V-rich phases (ilmenite-rich exsolutions and V-rich magnetite) because of the spiderweb-like textures.

Objective and Ambition

AVANTIS Meta-objective

To help achieve the benchmark of 10% domestic extraction in the EU's CRMA, AVANTIS will develop a low-carbon, multi-metl extraction approach for Europe's low-grade under/unexploited, vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite (Ti-V-Fe-(P)) deposits (and mining wastes) in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Poland and Ukraine. This novel "responsible mining" approach will extract two key CRMs V and Ti as pre-concentrates, which can be further processed by the relevant downstream industries to high-purity materials, e.g., VRFB, Ti-V alloy. AVANTIS will also impact on the co-extraction of light rare earths and phosphorus from the rare-earth containing apatite concentrate.

AVANTIS High-level objectives

To develop and implement a forensic geometallurgy protocol for the extraction of Ti & V from V-bearing titanomagnetite deposits and V/Ti-bearing mining wastes, based on cutting-edge orebody knowledge.

To advance towards a definition of optimum blasting parameters for rock excavation in V-bearing titanomagnetite ore that means (1) an increase in mineral liberation at the blasting stage; (2) a lower energy demand for the crushing and grinding stages.

To develop water-lean and/or water-free, advanced selective fragmentation and pre-concentration technologies that allow the separation of ilmenite and magnetite from V-bearing titanomagnetite ores and mining wastes, thereby producing two discrete pre-concentrates: ilmenite-rich, Ti-pre-concentrate and ilmenite-free, V-pre-concentrate.

To develop an integrated environmental, health & safety, public-acceptance and techno-economic assessment for the tailored extraction routes of low-grade, EU-based vanadiferous titanomagnetite deposits and historical/fresh mine tailings.

AVANTIS Consortium

KU Leuven

Coordinator / Beneficiary
Belgium

University of Oulu

Beneficiary
Finland

GTK

Beneficiary
Finland

NTNU

Beneficiary
Norway

TUC

Beneficiary
Greece

AGH

Beneficiary
Poland

UPM

Beneficiary
Spain

Titania

Beneficiary
Norway

Proxis

Beneficiary
Poland

IMA

Beneficiary
Finland

 

Otanmäki Mine

Associated Partner
Finland

Strategic

Associated Partner
Finland

Australian Titanium

Associated Partner
Australia

 

Documentary

Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle

The documentary “Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle” investigates the challenges faced by Europe as it attempts to set up its own, fully integrated, mine-to-EV value chain. 

The film acts as a wake-up call to avoid that Europe’s decarbonisation strategy leads to a nightmarish de-industrialisation. Instead, the documentary shows that Europe’s transition to climate neutrality can go hand in hand with a cleantech-based re-industrialisation. Made-in-Europe.

NEWS