Project description
Novel technology to prevent toxic dam collapse
Tailings dams are large structures created by the storage of byproducts after mineral extraction. The failure rates of tailings dams are extremely high worldwide, leading to the loss of many lives and significant environmental damage. One of the main causes of dam collapses is slope instability, commonly triggered by the liquefaction phenomenon. Accurate evaluation of geotechnical parameters is a crucial input for an effective liquefaction risk assessment and for the stability analysis of large structures. Soil characterization technology require considerable improvement to decrease the uncertainty deriving by current testing equipment. The innovative solution proposed by the EU-funded Medusa project is a geotechnical testing device that measures directly key soil properties with impressively higher accuracy and repeatability, compared to existing tools. The obtained soil parameters provide a clear site picture, necessary for liquefaction risk assessment and stability analysis. This novel testing technology may become the new standard for routine safety tests in tailings dams.
Objective
Tailings dams used in mining to collect waste of production in huge ponds are extremely risky in case of collapse. The failure rates of the 3,500 tailings dams around the world are extremely high: the list of accidents happened in the last 5 years include at least 4 major events per year, killing more than 500 persons and releasing in the environment millions of cubic meters of toxic material. Existing in-situ geotechnical and geophysical testing devices do not provide accurate information about the critical parameters to verify risk of liquefaction of sloping ground, which is the main causing factor responsible for the collapse of dams.
Medusa is an innovative geotechnical testing device allowing preventive identification of slope instability and static / seismic liquefaction of tailings dams in a quick, precise, simple and cost-efficient way. Medusa is an automatic, operator-independent and easy to use testing procedure, with exceptional standardization, repeatability and reliability of the test results. Medusa can become the new standard for routine safety tests in tailing dams. Medusa is derived from the Marchetti Dilatometer Test (DMT) produced and sold by Marchetti, which presents limits, intrinsically related to the use of the pneumatic method, which makes it not applicable in tailings dams. Medusa is an evolution of the DMT concept making it usable in tailings dams: electro-mechanical self-contained and cable-less probe, allowing autonomous and automatic procedure eliminating the pneumatic-electric cable. The solution is a TRL6 and will be tested in operational environment (TRL7) in a tailing dam during 2019 thanks to collaboration with first client. The target of the feasibility study is to analyse the outputs of the tests in operational environment and define the product implementation plan, the manufacturing plan, confirm the investment required and prepare an Investor Ready Business Plan to be discussed with potential industrial or financial investors.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software
- humanities history and archaeology history
- engineering and technology environmental engineering mining and mineral processing
- social sciences economics and business business and management business models
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
00189 ROMA
Italy
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.