Norge Mining, the Anglo-Norwegian mineral exploration company with a world-class resource of critical raw materials in southwest Norway, has announced that Betolar and Norge Mineraler AS, the Company’s Norwegian subsidiary, have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on creating sustainable mining solutions.
The goal of the cooperation is to support the green transition in Norge Mineraler’s operations. The memorandum of understanding serves as a starting point for potential broader collaboration between the parties. The parties intend to explore and assess the possibilities of Norge Mineraler using Betolar’s sustainable mining solutions, know-how, technologies, and innovations in Norge Mineraler’s operations. Norge Mineraler, together with Betolar, will aim to make better tailings management, by also exploring the potential for using a large part of the tailings in production of geopolymer based concrete or similar.
“We are very happy about this partnership with Norge Mineraler AS. The company’s decision emphasises sustainability and the desire to develop processes in such a way that environmental safety is at the centre of operations,” said Pasi Karekivi, Betolar’s Business Development Director for Mining & Metals.
“Norge Mineraler has a clear vision to operate the most environmentally friendly and sustainable mine for the critical raw materials vanadium, phosphate, and titanium. The cooperation with Betolar is a natural step towards that vision,” added Olav Skalmeraas, CEO at Norge Mineraler AS.
Several opportunities in sustainable mining
Betolar is developing several solutions for the mining and metals industries, enabling them to implement more sustainable solutions, reduce waste, and lower carbon emissions. The company has protected its solutions by applying for several patents related to sidestream and metals recovery.
The partnership between Norge Mineraler AS and Betolar is aiming at finding solutions to minimise carbon emissions in Norge Mineraler’s mining operations. The collaboration could also cover investigations on how to reduce wastes with applicable solutions at Norge Mineraler’s mining-sites including finding profitable solutions to side product management. Betolar’s solutions to the recovery of valuable fractions, as well as potential in-process carbon dioxide recovery and permanent carbon dioxide capture, are part of the potential future cooperation. The aim for both parties is also to find sustainable solutions to commercialise their mine tailings as geopolymer based concrete.
“Providing sustainable and low carbon emission solutions to mining and metals industries is a strategic focus for Betolar. We are excited to enter this cooperation with one of Norway’s most significant critical minerals projects under development in Eigersund and assist Norge Mineraler with achieving their ambitious sustainability goals,” stated Tuija Kalpala, CEO of Betolar.