Periodic Reporting for period 3 - GREENPEG (New Exploration Tools for European Pegmatite Green-Tech Resources)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-05-01 bis 2024-10-31
Many of the raw materials for green energy production can be sourced from a rock type known as pegmatite. The varieties of these which are most sought after are lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) and niobium-yttrium-fluorine (NYF) pegmatites. Being relatively common in Europe, pegmatite deposits have the size and raw material value to attract even small mining operations which are regarded as major contributors in Europe to secure raw material supply.
The GREENPEG project developed and tested a set of advanced exploration technologies and algorithms which were integrated and upscaled into an environmental-economically viable toolset at the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6-7 for finding buried pegmatites and their green technology raw materials. Validation of the new approach will be ensured from industry-led trials at representative locations across Europe and business plans will help to integrate the new products and services as part of business enlargement and innovation by consortium members. Field method took place in Austria, Ireland and Norway, while application studies were also carried out in Portugal and Spain. By applying GREENPEG results, the local partners will help their region to extend their value chains. The GREENPEG outcomes will be implemented in the European Policies and Regulations in the domain of sustainable production of raw materials, meeting the ambitious 2030 energy and climate targets. In that way, GREENPEG contributes to the society by minimizing environmental impacts and risks associated with critical raw material exploration and mining. GREENPEG will feed the EU date source on raw materials which will allow EU policy making a sustainable strategy of resource politics, attracting investments in the raw materials sector and increasing the competitiveness of EU companies.