Funding from RCN to strategically important infrastructure
News from 2021
The primary objective of the investment is to provide laboratory equipment supporting research in the transition to green, circular and sustainable metallurgy. SINTEF, with Dr Arne Petter Ratvik is the project owner and Professor Gabriella Tranell, co-director at SFI Metal Production, is leading the project from the NTNU side.
-We are very pleased with the awards from the Research Council. With this funding we are one step closer to transition to green, circular and sustainable metallurgy! The proposed infrastructure will expand upon existing infrastructure at NTNU and SINTEF.
Overview of the main areas of the TEMP infrastructure.
A sustainable metal production is strategically important for Norway as a large producer of metal products to the international market (close to 20 % of the mainland export). To achieve optimised and integrated processing methodology through the whole value chain in metal production and metal circularity, the infrastructure focuses on laboratory equipment necessary in the three main, interconnected areas important in metal production:
1. Pyrometallurgical processing, covering equipment necessary to develop new and more environmentally friendly and zero emissions solutions, phasing out fossil-based reduction materials, increased raw material utilisation, and recovery from secondary raw materials.
2. Hydrometallurgical processing, covering equipment necessary for the extraction from and separation of components in primary ores as well as secondary sources with a special focus on recycling complex end of life compounds and metals.
3. Electrometallurgical processing, covering equipment suited both for aqueous and molten salt and oxide electrolysis as well as supporting developments within cell and electrode materials.