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The EU aluminium production from, e.g., bauxite is one of the backbones to support Europe’s green and digital transition. In support of sustainable bauxite exploration and mining, Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was used on the major facies of the karst bauxite deposits of SODICAPEI (Southern France). Our results showed that LIBS is a very promising technology to define the bottom and top layer of bauxite ores and to access critical parameters crucial for bauxite mining and processing. First LIBS tests were made on scandium standards to find appropriate Sc emission lines for future applications.

Scandium (Sc) applications in solid oxygen fuel cells, aeronautics and heat exchange systems are forecasted to increase significantly without a sufficient continuous Sc supply for Europe. ScaVanger is an EU project for upscaling Sc extraction and purification technologies from various TiO2 pigment production residues. High purity Sc2O3 and ScF3 will be produced at competitive prices for the EU market. The ScaVanger process is expected to result in a 10% higher production rate and higher product purity as processing starts with a unique cleaning process of actinides. The first plant at a major European TiO2 pigment production site will be supplying about 30 t/a of Sc2O3.

X-ray transmission (XRT) and computed tomography (CT) was used on five samples from the Niaz porphyry Cu–Mo deposit in Iran, representing different alteration zones. Analysis of three-dimensional CT data revealed structural information and groups of elements with low, medium and high attenuation, which were assigned to minerals previously determined by scanning electron microscopy. Thus, the mineralization can be located, and the metal/waste ratio can be estimated, leading to more precise ore body modelling and process parameter determination. CT is useful for selected samples as it is time consuming. XRT can be used as real-time process on conveyor belts.