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

Science Communication

AVANTIS supported documentaries:

Europe’s Mining Renaissance

In this 22-minute documentary Peter Tom Jones (Director KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals - SIM2 KU Leuven) searches for answers to Europe’s seemingly problematic relationship with primary mining of energy transition metals.

Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle

A tsunami of cheap electric vehicles from China could lead to a nightmarish de-industrialisation in Europe. Dr Peter Tom Jones, a well known climate author, is convinced that Europe has to take the full value chain back in its own hands, from mine to electric vehicle. He undertakes a road trip in the Nordic countries to visit iconic mines and show best practices. He talks to the indigenous Sami people and to European leaders.
  1. K. Rong, Z-X Zhang, L-Y Chi, Numerical study of burden effects on rock breakage in single-hole bench blasting, Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences. DOI:10.32604/cmes.2026.078415

Published (extended) abstracts:

  1. K. Komnitsas, Kostas, T. Eerola, Public Acceptance and Responsible Mining towards Energy Transition, SDIMI: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.19448626(a joint EXCEED-AVANTIS effort).
  2. A. Piestrzyński, W. Zygo, K. Foltyn, G. Kozub-Budzyń, AGH Kraków, W. Geologii, G. i Ochrony Środowiska, Surowce krytyczne dla Europy, złoża rud Ti-Fe-V Ukrainy Critical elements for Europe, Ti-Fe-V deposit in Ukraine, Geological Congress, June 2024.
  3. M. Markkanen, T. Chernet,  T. Karinen, R. M. Michallik., E. Heilimo, Hydrothermal alteration and its effects on Ti-V deportment and processing of the Middle Ore Layer (MOL) from the Mustavaara Fe-Ti-V deposit, Finland. GeoDays 2025 seminar at University of Oulu (Finland), March 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15038805
  4. S. Luukkanen (for the AVANTIS consortium), AVANTIS – Sustainable, decarbonised vanadium, titanium and iron extraction from Europe’s low-grade vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite deposits, (at “Collaborative Actions Across the European Raw Material Value Chain” within the) European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2025, Vienna 27 April – 2 May 2025
  5. G. Bartzas, K. Komnitsas, D. Vathi, Sustainable extraction of V and Ti from low-grade V-bearing titanomagnetite deposits, Crete 2025 Conference, 27-31 May 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19453561
  6. K. Komnitsas, D. Vathi. Mobility of elements from tailings produced after flotation of low-grade, vanadium-bearing titano-magnetite ores. 12th International Conference on Environmental Management, Engineering, Planning and Economics (CEMEPE 2025) and SECOTOX Conference, 25-29 May 2025, Mykonos, Greece. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19469305
  7. K. Komnitsas, Socio-environmental aspects related to the Implementation of strategic projects, 2025 OECD Conference of Mining Regions and Cities, June 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19453046 –download.
  8. S. Luukkanen et al., AVANTIS– sustainable, decarbonised vanadium, titanium and iron extraction from europe’s low-grade vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite deposits, 2025 OECD Conference of Mining Regions and Cities, June 2025 download
  9. K. Foltyn, W. Zygo, A. Piestrzyński, L. Shumlyanskyy, Preliminary LA-ICP-MS trace element data for ilmenite and apatite from Fedorivka, Stremyhorodske and Nosachiv Ti-P deposits of the Ukrainian Shield, 18th SGA Biennial Meeting 2025 in Colorado, USA: https://sga2025.org/ (Aug 2025) – download
  10. D. Foszcz, W. Mączka, D. Krawczykowski, A. Piestrzyński, Analysis of gravity beneficiation options for obtaining ilmenite-rich titanium preconcentrates and ilmenite-free vanadium preconcentrates for the Krzemianka ore deposit, MEC conference, Poland, September 2025 – download
  11. K. Foltyn, W. Zygo, A. Piestrzyński, L. Shumlyanskyy, Chemistry of apatite from AMCG-related ilmenite-apatite deposits of the Ukrainian Shield: petrogenetic indicators and economic potential, Conference of the Mineralogical Society of Poland, October 2025, Poland – download
  12. T. Nuorivaara et al., Advanced flotation methods for efficient processing of low-grade V-bearing titanomagnetite ores – Case studies on Mustavaara and Otanmäki ore Deposits in Finland, Flotation 25 Conference, Cape Town, South Africa 17-20 November 2025
  13. C. Oyinloye, S.Luukkanen, S. Hartikainen, N. Paasovaara, A. Wicaksono, D. Krawczykowski, D. Saramak, D. Foszcz, A. Krawczykowska, W. Zygo, M. Markkanen, T. Chernet, Selective Fragmentation and Water-Free Pre-Concentration for Sustainable Processing of Fe-Ti-V Bearing Ores, PROMETIA Scientific Seminar (25-27 November 2025), Naples.
  14. T. Nuorivaara, M. Markkanen, T. Chernet, Advanced processing methods for efficient flotation of Ti- and V- bearing ores, Flotation 25 Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, 17-20 November 2025 download.
  15. K. Komnitsas, D. Vathi, V. Karmali, Geochemical environmental assessment of mining – metallurgical wastes and alkali activating materials, Proceedings 9th Slag Valorisation Symposium 8-11 April 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19452121

Below you may find an overview of the project public deliverables at this point of the project.

  • D1.1 – Analytical Protocol for WP1 agreed upon by all partners – download
  • D5.1 – Report on identified projects for clustering activities – download
  • D5.2 – Interim report on outcomes of clustering activities – download
  • Press Release SIM²/SOLVOMET KU Leuven, Horizon Europe ENICON, EXCEED, AVANTIS, CICERO & LITHOS – Prometia – 15 March 2024 (READ)
  • Policy brief by AVANTiS General Coordinator, Dr. Peter Tom Jones – “Why Europe must act now to change public perception of mining”
    (READ).