Cubicoff has successfully completed the engineering for a pilot plant for the extraction of minerals and rare earth elements from acidic waters at the Aznalcóllar open-pit mine, Minera Los Frailes. The project, awarded in the fall of last year in collaboration with Lantania Aguas, is part of the REECOVERY consortium, which includes Minera Los Frailes, Cetaqua Water Technology Centre, Aquatec, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
The project, now in its final execution phase, analyzes the acidic waters from the open-pit rare earth mine at Minera Los Frailes in Aznalcóllar (Huelva). The aim is to extract valuable minerals and metals, promoting resource reuse and the circular economy.
In this pioneering initiative, Cubicoff has been responsible for detailed engineering and integration, while Lantania, a Spanish company specializing in large-scale infrastructure for transportation, water, and energy, has undertaken the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) of the pilot plant for metal treatment and extraction.
REECOVERY is a European research project that develops and validates a resource recovery system to obtain critical raw materials from acidic contact waters originating from old environmental liabilities of mining origin or from processes related to mining activities.
David Pérez Sigüenza, CEO of Cubicoff, commented on the project: “At Cubicoff, we are committed to innovation to assist our clients in achieving their business and environmental objectives. Minera Los Frailes now has the opportunity to add value by producing by-products in high demand in the market while improving its surroundings and facilities. We are delighted to have collaborated with Lantania Aguas and the consortium of companies in REECOVERY on this circular economy project for the mining industry.”
This project is funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology Raw Materials (EIT Raw Materials), established in 2015 to advance Europe’s transition to a sustainable economy. EIT Raw Materials’ overall goal is to support the guarantee of a supply of critical raw materials for the European industry by driving innovation throughout the raw materials value chain. EIT Raw Materials relies on the world’s largest network of partners in raw materials and advanced materials.
In addition to recovering high-value materials in the market, this innovative project will contribute to the environmental recovery of mining liabilities while enabling compliance with discharge regulations in mining facilities. The plant’s commissioning and operation are expected to take place in the spring of 2024.