Mine waste now be utilised in LKAB's mines Mine waste now be utilised in LKAB's mines Residual products from LKAB's mines include both phosphate minerals and so-called rare earth metals, materials which up until now have ended up in tailings ponds. It is hoped that these valuable minerals will now be recovered and utilised with the help of innovative new technology. Apatite is a phosphate mineral that is used in, among other applications, the production of fertilisers and it is in the ore that is mined in LKAB's mines. Previously these minerals were extracted, but production was mothballed in the mid-1980s. Since then, the apatite has been a part of the the mine waste that has been sent to the tailings ponds. The problem is that it is very difficult to make production of LKAB's apatite concentrate economically viable. The product must be further upgraded. This is where EasyMining, a subsidiary of environmental services company Ragn-Sells, comes in. They have developed and patented a method for upgrading apatite concentrate to a finished product called MAP, or Mono Ammonium Phosphate. Mr Lars Vikström, technical and business development manager at the Special Products Division, said that "LKAB is responsible for the entire project, from raw material to production of apatite concentrate and manufacturing of MAP. The project is being carried out in close collaboration with EasyMining, who are contributing their knowledge of the manufacturing process for MAP." In addition to phosphate, the mine waste contains rare earth metals. "Although there are relatively small amounts, the material is of interest for us. Here, in principle, the challenge is to sort out and separate what is of value," explains Ulrika Håkansson, technical business developer at the Special Products Division. Rare earth metals, as much as 95 per cent of which are produced in China, are used in, among other products, mobile phones, batteries and magnets. Heavy and light rare earth metals and phosphorus are all on the EU's Critical Raw Materials list; i.e., materials that are of major future importance for the EU economy, industry, technology and environment and the supply of which cannot be considered stable. The EU is currently wholly dependent on imports of rare earth metals, and a single deposit in Europe meets barely 10 per cent of EU phosphorus demand. Here, there are great opportunities. Source : Strategic Research Institute, SteelGuru
LKAB plans to recover and utilise phosphate minerals and rare earth metals that previously ended up as waste. Apatite, a phosphate mineral used in fertilisers, among other things, was extracted up to the mid-1980s, when the process was halted, as it was not economically feasible. However, EasyMining, a subsidiary of environmental company Ragn-Sells, has developed a way of turning apatite concentrate into a finished product called mono ammonium phosphate (MAP). LKAB is harnessing EasyMining’s technological knowledge for the process of upgrading apatite to valuable MAP.