Conveners: Nicola Mondillo (Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II"), Paolo Nimis (Università di Padova), Licia Santoro (Università di Torino), Simone Vezzoni (CNR- Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse - Pisa)
nicola.mondillo@unina.it
In the last 15 years, the importance of specific materials (including metals, minerals and rocks) has significantly increased, due to their widespread application in modern technologies, including those necessary for the green transition. The majority of these materials is currently supplied by a few countries controlling their market supply chain. Therefore, there is growing global concern over the long-term availability of these materials, as unexpected events can quickly disrupt the supply chains. The European Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Act, released in 2024, ensures EU access to a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials, reducing excessive import dependence by enhancing circularity and resource efficiency, and exploiting natural resources in member countries. Recently, EU has also defined a list of "Strategic Raw Materials (SRM)", which score among the highest in terms of strategic importance, forecasted demand, and difficult production growth, in five strategic sectors: renewable energy, e-mobility, ICT (information and communication tech.), defense and aerospace.
Europe has a long mining tradition and is well endowed with aggregates and industrial minerals. However, member countries are less successful in sourcing CRM or SRM, for which the potential is significant, but still largely unexplored. In June 2024, the Italian Government funded a National Exploration Program aimed at reviving the mining sector in Italy (DL n. 84, 2024); the target raw materials include, among others, bauxite, graphite, Li, B, Ga, Ge, Mg, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, REE, Ti, W, as well as potential vector minerals such as sphalerite, fluorite and feldspars, which have potential to be recovered from either natural mineral deposits or historical mining wastes.
This session welcomes contributes dealing with the geological, mineralogical and geochemical characterization of mineral deposits and mining wastes located in Italy, Europe, or elsewhere, aimed at the investigation and/or development of new geological models on the distribution and concentration processes of CRM, SRM and related vector minerals. Resources of other mineral commodities will also be considered. Particular attention will be also given to innovative technology developments in mineral deposit science.
nicola.mondillo@unina.it
In the last 15 years, the importance of specific materials (including metals, minerals and rocks) has significantly increased, due to their widespread application in modern technologies, including those necessary for the green transition. The majority of these materials is currently supplied by a few countries controlling their market supply chain. Therefore, there is growing global concern over the long-term availability of these materials, as unexpected events can quickly disrupt the supply chains. The European Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Act, released in 2024, ensures EU access to a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials, reducing excessive import dependence by enhancing circularity and resource efficiency, and exploiting natural resources in member countries. Recently, EU has also defined a list of "Strategic Raw Materials (SRM)", which score among the highest in terms of strategic importance, forecasted demand, and difficult production growth, in five strategic sectors: renewable energy, e-mobility, ICT (information and communication tech.), defense and aerospace.
Europe has a long mining tradition and is well endowed with aggregates and industrial minerals. However, member countries are less successful in sourcing CRM or SRM, for which the potential is significant, but still largely unexplored. In June 2024, the Italian Government funded a National Exploration Program aimed at reviving the mining sector in Italy (DL n. 84, 2024); the target raw materials include, among others, bauxite, graphite, Li, B, Ga, Ge, Mg, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, REE, Ti, W, as well as potential vector minerals such as sphalerite, fluorite and feldspars, which have potential to be recovered from either natural mineral deposits or historical mining wastes.
This session welcomes contributes dealing with the geological, mineralogical and geochemical characterization of mineral deposits and mining wastes located in Italy, Europe, or elsewhere, aimed at the investigation and/or development of new geological models on the distribution and concentration processes of CRM, SRM and related vector minerals. Resources of other mineral commodities will also be considered. Particular attention will be also given to innovative technology developments in mineral deposit science.