Project description
Unlocking Europe’s potential in critical raw materials
Novel methods and technologies are needed to find critical raw materials (CRMs) that will transform Europe into a low-carbon, digital economy, while meeting environmental, economic and societal requirements. The EU-funded AGEMERA project will perform local geological and geophysical surveys to map CRM resources in six EU Member States and Zambia. It will exploit a broad range of data to enhance the genetic mineral system models of deposits that contain CRMs, such as lithium and cobalt. The project aims to reach five million citizens by 2030 through various dissemination activities, including courses for schools and universities. In addition, an open-access database will compile social, cultural, environmental and economic concerns about mining and mineral exploration.
Objective
New environmental, economic and societal requirements in the EU’s transition to a low-carbon and digital economy call for innovative methods, technologies and techniques to be developed and applied in mineral exploration. To unlock the CRM potential in Europe, AGEMERA will conduct local state-of-art geological and geophysical surveys over a total of ~4,700 km2 in order to detailly map CRM resources in 6 EU countries and 1 third country (Zambia). The geophysical field trial surveys will demonstrate three novel non-invasive survey methods (at up to a TRL5) based on remote sensing and related data analysis: 1) passive seismic methods, 2) multi-sensing drone system combining magnetic, radiometric and electromagnetic sensing, and 3) muon-based multidetector density detection system. The project will use data from open-access databases (e.g. European Geological Data Infrastructure, EGDI), the data collected from the field by project geoscientists, and various geophysical survey methods to refine and improve the genetic mineral system models of the various deposit types known to contain lithium, cobalt, molybdenum, vanadium, PGMs, niobium, tantalum, bauxite and REE. The project will introduce the existing guidance for the application of UNFC for mineral resources to the partner countries through stakeholders, courses and public events. The project will survey citizens in the project countries, create a CRM educational package targeting schools and universities, publish an online CRM serious game, organise public events, as well as online news flashes, with the aim to reach 5,000,000 citizens by 2030. The project will create an open-access SoftGIS analysis and database on people’s social, cultural, environmental and economic concerns related to mining and mineral exploration. These data enable the creation of socio-economic potential maps to be used in parallel with the geological potential maps, consequently ensuring a basis for socially accepted and sustainable mining.
Fields of science
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabases
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metals
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringmining and mineral processing
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringremote sensing
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticsautonomous robotsdrones
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssimulation software
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
90014 Oulu
Finland
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Participants (19)
96101 Rovaniemi
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10000 Zagreb
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10101 Lusaka
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12616 Tallinn
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1113 SOFIA
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28006 Madrid
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09599 Freiberg
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53-659 Wrocław
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17430 Santa Coloma De Farners
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
90590 Oulu
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
96900 SAARENKYLA
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1862 BD Bergen
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1031 Budapest
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
90100 OULU
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
70101 Jajce
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88240 POSUSJE
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21330 Huelva
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4500 Panagyurishte
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59301 Lubin
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