RIS-RECOVER

Mining tailings and metallurgical heaps can pose a substantial risk to environment, due to their quantity and composition, while on the other hand represents valuable sources of secondary raw materials, including critical raw materials.

The RIS-RECOVER project activities are based on a quintuple innovation helix approach merging industry, research/education, government, general public and environment sectors in order to increase regional competitiveness based on a regional background and the latest know-how of the RIS-RECOVER consortium. The innovative approach is based on the zero waste paradigm, which means that, once valuable raw materials like critical raw materials (CRM) and metals are extracted, the residues can be recycled for the construction sector. The main output will be a regional innovation scheme based on validated and fact-based data. Such validated approach will be transferred to other parts of RIS region and across Europe.

RIS-CuRE

The long history of intensive copper (Cu) mining in ESEE countries with similar geological deposits has, with its rather obsolete technologies, in the past resulted in low extraction rates and the formation of large quantities of different types of tailings. Such tailings have also caused in the past extreme pollution to the groundwater, soil and air.

The activities of the RIS‐CuRE project are based on an innovation model merging all relevant stakeholders within the knowledge triangle in the field of industry, research, and education taking into account the latest know‐how and the zero waste paradigm. Such a holistic eco‐innovative approach to the extraction of valuable minerals (e.g. critical raw materials and other valuable metals) and the beneficial use of residues after the extraction of metals (e.g. in the construction industry) provides a guarantee for the successful development of a regional innovation scheme (RIS) based on the exploitation of tailings, and is, from the economic, organizational, technological, environmental and social points of view, the most viable option.