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Content archived on 2024-05-07

Integrated Technologies for Minerals Exploration, Pilot Project for Nickel Ore Deposits

Objective



BE95-1117 Integrated technologies for Minerals Exploration, Pilot Project for Nicke Ore Deposits


Nickel is a strategic metal for the European industry and its availability is a key factor for the industrial competitiveness and economic growth. EU is, however, a net importer of nickel metal and raw materials. The objective of the proposed project is to contribute to the securing of the availability of nickel raw materials for the metal industries in EU by developing integrated mineral exploration technologies to enhance the success potential in the exploration of sulphide and laterite nickel deposits. The project will open promising outlooks also into mineral exploration in general.
The objectives will be met by developing both novel geological, geophysical and information technology tools for mineral exploration. Development of new models for nickel ore deposits and their host formations is based on detailed mineralogical studies, isotope geochemistry, and on geochemical and metallogenic modelling. Improvement of the efficiency of geophysical exploration methods from regional to deposit scale is achieved by enhancing both instrumentation and software. An innovative software system for integrated knowledge based analysis of multidisciplinary geodata will be created using state-of-the-art GIS technology, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) applications and Artificial Intelligence approach.

The work content of the project is divided into the following six Work Packages. Modelling of sulphide and laterite nickel ore deposits; development of geophysical technology; image processing and pattern recognition; design and development of Geoscientific Information System (GEOSIS); Knowledge Based System; final integration.

Through completion of its objectives, the project will result in a number of software and instrumentation prototypes, and in methodological innovations. These are anticipated to serve as new integrated tools for active cooperation of experts with different backgrounds for the detection of nickel and other base metal ore deposits.

The most important of the benefits of the project is in directing exploration to the most promising areas. This will greatly enhance the potential, and essentially lower the cost, of discovering technically and
economically viable sulphide and laterite nickel deposits. Other benefits include the training and education of technical personnel in, and liaisons between, industrial companies and research organisations within EU.
The consortium is formed by joining forces of the nickel raw materials producers in EU: Outokumpu M etals & Resources Oy (Finland) and LARCO (Greece); together with computer science expert AUTOMA (Italy), industrial SME; and instrumentation company IRIS Instruments (France), industrial SME; and research organisations: the National Geological Surveys of France (BRGM), Greece (IGME) and Finland (GSF); and computer science institute National Centre for Scientific Research NCSR (Greece).

Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Call for proposal

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Funding Scheme

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CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

Outokumpu Mining Oy
EU contribution
No data
Address
7A,Riihitontuntie
02201 Espoo
Finland

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Total cost

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Participants (8)

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