The Critical Minerals Equipment Hub will expand Cornwall and Isles of Scilly’s (CIoS) technical capability, lower analytical costs and time delays, raise through-put and accelerate research, development and innovation (RD&I). This will create a nationally-unique Equipment Hub for the Geo-Resources sector.
It addresses the unique opportunity resulting from the region’s abundance of green technology metals (including: copper, lithium, tin and tungsten) that are important for continued UK economic growth. These opportunities were identified in the CIoS Local Industrial Strategy and the UK’s first ever 2022 Critical Minerals Strategy (Resilience for the Future).
The project focuses on “minerals processing”, which is a crucial stage in which metals are separated from their host rock that determines if projects become viable.
‘New’ technology metals, such as lithium and the rare earth elements, and the quest for more environmentally-friendly, low carbon processes for conventional ores, require new techniques and new equipment. Technology metal bearing minerals, such as the rare earth elements, which are a priority area in the UK Critical Mineral Strategy, require specific equipment for safe handling.
This project will invest in state-of-the-art and green mineral processing equipment and associated essential health and safety infrastructure. These were identified in an industry-led forum at the Camborne School of Mines (CSM) in October 2022 as lacking in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (CIoS) and therefore holding back economic growth.
With the equipment in place, there are many long-term shared prosperity and high-skill job opportunities, including accelerating current metal mining projects, further provision of consultancy services and high-profile and internationally reaching RD&I.
The project will be delivered by the CSM, University of Exeter, the UK’s only multidisciplinary mining school, working closely with industry stakeholders such as Petrolab and Bluecap Resources.
