More efficient ore exploitation through technological innovations – Annual IMP@CT project workshop held at Gross mine

(From the workshop) The British company Mineco Limited, one of the biggest investors in mining in the Western Balkans, hosted the annual workshop of the “IMP@CT” Horizon 2020 European research & innovation project, which uses technological innovation to develop a new and quicker way to open mines and, by doing so, increase Europe’s ability to swiftly react to market challenges and better secure access to the critical raw materials required for European manufacturing industries.

The workshop was held at Mineco’s Gross mine near Srebrenica from July 2 through 4. It brought together some 30 leading academics and industry specialists from across Europe, involved in finding the solutions for the most efficient ways of exploitation of small ore sites in a socially and environmentally acceptable way, Mineco says.

The Operations Director of Mineco Limited, Dominic Roberts, stated at the gathering that the IMP@CT project had received EUR 7 million in subsidies and that it used technological innovations in order to develop a new and quicker way of mine opening.

– The Horizon 2020 project is very important and will look for a way for a more efficient and safe exploitation of small sites of ore of various metals – Roberts said and used the example of the Gross mine to show how the company has managed, through modernization and investments in mining equipment, to realize better results, reduce the level of pollution and upgrade the security and safety of workers, which is the main goal of the project.

At the workshop, the team finalized the preparation of the deployment of the IMP@CT modular, mobile processing technology to Mineco’s Olovo mine in September.

IMP@CT, a project in which Mineco is taking part as a company which invests in the development and the implementation of the latest technologies, should result in well thought-out and tested new methods of excavation at smaller mineral sites, with the costs of launching significantly reduced, as it is important for projects to be initiated much faster than is currently the case and to be closed equally as fast after a successful completion of exploitation, without harm done to the environment and with benefits to the local community. The realization of the project should increase Europe’s ability to react quickly to market challenges and have a more secure access to critical raw materials required by the manufacturing industry.

Gross mine in Srebrenica is the largest of Mineco’s five operating mines, employing 527 personnel and mining 350,000 tons of lead and zinc ore per year. Also in Bosnia Mineco opened the Olovo mine earlier this year. In Serbia Mineco operates Rudnik, Veliki Majdan and Bosilegrad mines.

Veliki Majdan Ljubovija

Mineco

IMP@CT project

lead and zinc mine Gross

Dominic Roberts

Horizon 2020

innovations

small site exploitation

ore exploitation

modular mobile processing technology

lead mine

zinc mine

copper mine

lead

zinc

copper

underground exploitation mine

Veliki Majdan mine

Rudnik Gornji Milanovac

Olovo cerussite mine