PERSEPHONE has strong and well-balanced consortium. It consists of two world leading mining companies GM - Grecian Magnesite S.A. & KGHM - KGHM Polska Miedz SA; two mining assisting companies in-terms of advance technology and digitization tools EPI - Epiroc Rock Drills AB & MRP - MineRP; five research institutes and an SME covering various aspects related to mining like mechanical design, services, geology, autonomy, and sensor technology CUP - KGHM Cuprum Spółka Z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością Centrum Badawczo- Rozwojowe, GSB - Institut Royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, LTU - Luleå University of Technology, DTU - Technical University of Denmark, SPE - Spectral Industries B.V. & UPAT - University of Patras; a non-profit organisation INTRAW - International Raw Materials Observatory; and LPRC - La Palma Research Centre SL.
Meet the PERSEPHONE partners
Lulea University of Technology have performed excellent research, development, and innovation for Mining, Steel and Pulp and Paper for the past 20 years. We enter the PERSEPHONE project with two research groups the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Group and Ore Geology Group, and Process IT Innovations.
The Robotics and AI research group at Lulea University of Technology is at the forefront of the green transition, with sustainability at the core of our research initiatives. We are bringing the mining industry into the era of digitalization, where our expertise streamlines operations and enhances safety, environmental responsibility, and efficiency.
We excel in the fields of robotics, automation, digitalization, and AI. Our groundbreaking projects have revolutionized workplace safety by enabling robots to autonomously perform hazardous tasks.
Our sustained success is underpinned by our enduring partnerships with industry leaders, which continue to yield impactful research outcomes. Join us in shaping the future of robotics and AI, where innovation meets sustainability.
LTU Ore Geology group is dedicated to advancing sustainable practices in mineral exploration and characterization. Our key research areas include mineral system analysis and ore genetic modelling, resource characterization and tools development, geometallurgical characterization and modelling, and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) research. In addition to our specialized focus, the group adopts a multidisciplinary approach and strong industry collaboration, leveraging advanced multi-scale and multi-dimensional experimental facilities and technical excellence in various ore deposit types, to translate our findings into actionable solutions for the mining sector.
Process IT Innovations is a collaboration center in northern Sweden that works to develop new technical solutions based on the needs of the basic industry.
Role in the project:
The Robotics and AI group at LTU is a project coordinator with a major technical role on autonomy development.
The LTU Ore Geology group will provide support for the geological modelling efforts in Work Package 5. Furthermore, the group is responsible for assessing how the geological data collected throughout the project can be effectively integrated and made interoperable across the upstream and downstream segments of the mineral value chain.
ProcessIT Innovations contributes to project management, guiding innovation, and standardization efforts.
Epiroc is one of the leading global equipment manufacturers for the mining and infrastructure industries. With ground-breaking technology, we develop and produce innovative, safe and sustainable drill rigs, rock excavation and construction equipment, and tools. We also provide world-class service and high-tech solutions for automation and interoperability. We have a strong operating model characterized by focus on innovation, safety, a strong and resilient services business and an agile and global operational setup. Our world is changing, and our ambition is to be the leader in automation, interoperability and fossil-free operations. We are a 147-year old start-up – a dynamic new company, but with proven expertise and experience. Epiroc means at or on rock, coming from Greek and Latin roots. It reflects our core business, our proximity to customers and the strength of our partnerships. The headquarter is in Stockholm, Sweden and production units worldwide. Epiroc was part of the Atlas Copco Group, founded in 1873, until June 18, 2018, when Epiroc was distributed to the shareholders of Atlas Copco and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.
Role in the project
Within the Persephone project Epiroc coordinates the activities related to technology development on smart sustainable deposit extraction system, with key role in the activity related to rock mass preconditioning and hole deviation monitoring (WP2, WP3). EPI is also coordinating the integration of the overall technological development and conceptual evaluation (WP8, WP9).
Grecian Magnesite is a privately owned company established in 1959 possessing substantial know-how in mining, processing, and marketing of industrial minerals. One of its missions is to exploit and process mineral raw materials supplying quality products to a broad spectrum of industries. It ranks among the top magnesia producers and exporters in Europe with a staff of around 425 people and a turnover of some 65 million €.
The company´s main deposits (microcrystalline magnesite) are located in Greece (Chalkidiki and Evia Island) and Turkey (Eskisehir) with concessions (active & reserve) exceeding 9600 hectares and exploited mainly through open pit mining. The total production capacity for calcined products (caustic magnesia, dead-burned magnesia) is close to 200.000 tpa whereas 95% of each yearly output is exported, with EU sales exceeding 50% of its turnover. While the company’s main mining activities in Greece are conducted in the Yerakini Mine Site Complex (open pits), recently, GM has revived one of its several abandoned underground mines in Evia Island, central Greece, the Koutzi UG mine which has become the first-ever fully electric underground mine in the EU.
GM produces magnesite (MgCO3), magnesium oxide (MgO) and Dunite grades for a wide range of applications in construction, industrial/manufacturing, agri, chemical and steel sectors. The company applies custom-developed pioneering beneficiation methods in a continuous effort to increase recovery and ore concentrate quality from both the excavated mineral and old tailings stocks. GM continuously invests in Research and Development and has significant experience in European and National funded Research projects in materials science, applied chemistry, mining and process technology.
https://www.grecianmagnesite.com/profile
https://www.grecianmagnesite.com/sustainable-mining
Role in the project
GM will provide expertise in the exploration, drilling, and excavation aspect within the project and access to an underground abandoned mine, providing a unique advantage with regards to the validation of the concepts proposed within the project. Specifically, GM’s abandoned mines in Euboea Island (along with recently re-developed Kutzi pilot mine in the same area) will pose as one of the two desired scenarios of the project of reaching the difficult to access critical mineral deposits, along with the associated sustainability and accessibility challenges. GM will also provide ground truth data based on laboratory instruments to build calibration models and validate measurements for the technologies developed within the project.
INTRAW is a non-profit international association dedicated to fostering global collaboration in mineral raw materials’ research and innovation. INTRAW provides information on best international practices, latest economic research, advanced data analytics and scenario studies, to inform raw materials strategies and contribute to the sustainable development of the raw materials sector. INTRAW is active in the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Expert Group on Resource Management, and brings to PERSEPHONE an extensive body of knowledge in cross-sectoral policies covering economic, environmental and social dimensions.
The La Palma Research Centre (LPRC) is an autonomous think tank based in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. Dedicated to the promotion of sustainable development, LPRC has a wide range of expertise in different areas, including commercialisation and technology transfer, foresight and policy analysis, social media management, science communication, and public engagement. Through its innovative approach, LPRC seeks to provide dynamic solutions to today's challenges and make a significant contribution to global sustainability efforts.
Involved in a wide range of projects, LPRC actively addresses pressing issues ranging from mining and critical raw materials to geosciences and EU defense initiatives. Ongoing efforts include the FIREFLY project, which focuses on the development of predictive and renewably powered tools for sustainable transitions in the European chemical industry, and TRIDENT which aims to develop technology-based impact assessment tools for transparent deep-sea exploration and exploitation. The centre's commitment also extends to projects such as CIRAN, which addresses the extraction of critical raw materials in protected areas, and AIRSHIP, which envisions and aims to develop an innovative use of a known transportation mean: flying ships, delivering a new class of fully electrical unmanned aircraft system, the UWV (Unmanned WIG Vehicle) that brings together speed, flexibility and energy efficiency.
Role in the project
For PERSEPHONE, LPRC is ready to bring its expertise in foresight and technology roadmapping to the table. With a focus on developing a comprehensive EU technology roadmaps and regulatory frameworks, LPRC aims to consider a range of technical, ethical, legal, and societal dimensions that may be relevant to the implementation of the PERSEPHONE project. This comprehensive approach will cover issues such as equipment interoperability, data protection and environmental sustainability, as well as safety, security and ethical considerations related to the adoption of PERSEPHONE technologies.
MineRP is a software company focused on digital transformation in the mining industry. Founded in 1997, MineRP and has since grown into an internationally recognized brand with offices on four continents. In May 2021, MineRP was acquired by Swedish equipment manufacturer Epiroc as part of their Digitalization strategy.
MineRP is an open, standards-based digital integration platform to mines of all types, commodities and locations. With the MineRP Platform, the fragmented technical services domain is instantly integrated, and mine planning from Life of Mine to detailed Shift-Scheduling becomes fast and collaborative.
When we engage with clients, we focus on delivering incredibly fast, detailed mine planning and scheduling alternatives that are ready for mines to execute. Our clients seamlessly orchestrate work and collaborate across silos and multiple disciplines while creating or refining strategic, business or short-term plans and schedules.
Our partner ecosystem includes small mining experts and global powerhouses who develop sustainable digital transformation strategies for mines of any variety, anywhere. Strategic partnering is core to our future, and our partners love telling our story and offering previously impossible solutions with us.
Role in the project
MRP brings in its expertise in the field of mining software that is focused on digitization in various mining related processes. Their MineRP platform is the world’s only operation technology platform that is focused on unifying operation technology, geoscience, and enterprise resource planning domains in the global mining industry, hence leading the way for developing innovative sustainable comprehensive geoscience-based digital mining solutions
MRP will lead and coordinate the activities in the area of dynamic digital twin-based interoperable geo-models for optimal planning of face drilling and extraction related to end user requirement specification for deep mining. MRP will bring in expertise on digital twin technology and actively participating in all Work Packages involving visualization through digital twins.
SPECTRAL Industries is a small SME located in Delf, the Netherlands, with 15 employees and growing steadily. The company is primary business is the development and manufacturing of LIBS sensor equipment. This laser-based sensing technology allows for a rapid, non-contact and affordable chemical analysis of any sample. Due to these (and more) advantages LIBS is an upcoming and very interesting technique in many industrial environments. SPECTRAL’s main client base and experience is therefore in mining, recycling and manufacturing.
SPECTRAL Industries does not solely produce and sell hardware. We believe and have learned that many clients require end-to-end solutions. We have extensive experience delivering tailor-made systems to a wide variety of applications. These applications include drill-rigs, drillcore scanners, conveyor belt systems, molten steel, aluminum recycling and much more.
Delivering robust and cutting-edge systems combined with state-of-the-art data analysis. To be able to do this, SPECTRAL consists of experts from many fields of study such as optics, mechanics, electronics, data analysis and mining.
Role in the project
Within the PERSEPHONE project, SPECTRAL’s primary role revolves around the development of LIBS systems for underground drilling operations. Furthermore, SPECTRAL will be leading WP6 which does not only seek to develop LIBS, but also applications such as multi-spectral cameras, acoustic and electromagnetic sensing.
KGHM Polska Miedź S.A has been a major global copper and silver producer for 60 years. The Polish copper deposits – among the biggest in the world – are mined by three underground mines: Lubin, Polkowice-Sieroszowice and Rudna. The extracted material is enriched in concentrator plants, while the production of metals as copper, silver, gold, lead and others takes place in metallurgical facilities: Copper Smelter/Refineries in Głogów and Legnica and the Cedynia Wire Rod Plant. Apart from the metals mentioned, the mines of the KGHM Group also produce molybdenum, nickel, palladium and platinum. The KGHM Group ranks among the world’s largest producers of silver and copper and employs a total of around 34 thousand people. It is also the only company in Europe producing rhenium and ammonium perrhenate from its own resources.
Role in the project
KGHM has key role in the activities related to validation of the overall technological development in deep mining environments (WP6), dissemination efforts (T7.1), engagement with end users in mining (T7.7) and in framing the technology road map for the future (T7.9) in WP7. KGHM is also actively participating in all WPs.
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), is one of the ten federal scientific institutions that are governed and funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo). It is involved in important scientific research activities and public service missions. RBINS research is devoted to nature, its long history and its sustainable management. It covers bio- and geodiversity, climate, history of life, land, freshwater and marine ecosystems, geology of Belgium, modelling the North Sea, and human settlements. RBINS disposes of a variety of world-class research infrastructures, including scanning electron microscopy, µCT-scanning, Raman and Laser-induced break-down spectrometry, X-ray diffractometry, and DNA laboratory facilities. It also manages the research vessel ‘Belgica’ and an aerial survey plane. RBINS builds on strong national and international networking and is strongly involved in the publication of several scientific journals, handbooks and book series.
The Geological Survey of Belgium (GSB) is a research- and service-oriented department of the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences. The GSB conducts scientific services and research projects related to Geo-Energy, Raw Materials, Dynamics of sedimentary basins and data infrastructure. GSB also carried out all major exploration campaigns of the Belgian subsurface, including deep boreholes and all major geophysical surveys (seismic reflective profiles, gravimetry, aeromagnetic,…). The scientific valorization of the data, rocks and mineral collections is conducted through a modern analytical equipment facility. During the last years GSB was involved in several EU financed project targeting critical raw materials and mineral exploration.
Role in the project
In PERSEPHONE, the GSB is mainly involved in WP6, for developing and equipping the mining machines with sensing and analytics capacities to enable autonomous near-mine exploration of the mining frontier. In particular electromagnetic and acoustic sensing to obtain the structural properties, and multi-spectral cameras for the chemical composition o the ore.
KGHM CUPRUM supports mining companies in the implementation of their strategy, development of a resource base, diversification of activity, and in creating and implementing of innovative technological solutions. Our specialists were involved in research and development for underground copper mines, bituminous coal mines in the Upper Silesia and for the Salt Mine in Wieliczka. Most of KGHM CUPRUM's activities are focused on the Polish Mining Industry but our specialists also actively take part in exploration works outside the territory of Poland. Moreover, our clients include nonmining enterprises and foreign partners with which we implement projects financed by the European Union. During last years KGHM CUPRUM team was involved in Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, Interreg BSR EIT Raw material and many other EU co-financed international projects.
Role in the project
In the PERSEPHONE project, KGHM CUPRUM plays the role of WP1 leader. Our team will also be responsible for the preparation of development of Computer-aided planning of excavation in exceptional deposit conditions (T3.3.); and data-driven planning of mining works (T.7.4). Our work in PERSEPHONE project will focus on the improvement of safe and effective excavation at large depths with use of improved datasets on stress distribution and rocks strength parameters.
The Danish Technical University (DTU) is a leading technology and academic center. Known for its dedication to research and collaboration, DTU has been shaping the world of engineering since 1829.
It is a state-of-the-art research center, where people work together across disciplines to find innovative solutions. DTU's goal is to address global challenges through science and technology, with a real impact on knowledge, sustainability and the education of future innovators.
Role in the project
In the Persephone project, DTU plays a central role in the design of state-of-the-art drilling systems for deep mining exploration, including the implementation of autonomous scheduling and execution of drilling with onboard sensing technologies. Collaborative conceptualization involves engineers with diverse expertise, who refine ideas using advanced research facilities. Prototypes are then created at DTU's facilities, turning theoretical concepts into tangible models and testing to ensure optimal performance.
The key role of the DTU drives the conceptual project towards innovation, thanks to the collaboration of other partners involved.
University of Patras (UPat) founded in 1964, the University of Patras, encompassing campuses in Patras, Agrinion, and Messolonghi, has grown into Greece's third-largest university. The university boasts a sprawling main campus in Rion. Offering 35 departments, 161 laboratories, and 17 fully equipped clinics, the university is renowned for its excellence in education and research, particularly in fields like Health, Environment, Biotechnology, Mechanics, Electronics, and Informatics.
The University of Patras participates with the Robotics Group, of the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, which has more than forty postdoctoral researchers, under/post-graduate students, and volunteers. Its members focus on the design, construction, and programming of novel robots while spreading robotics technologies to all educational levels. It received funds for more than 20 RTD projects in the last 20 years. The Robotics Group, with more than 200 papers, develops and provides educational and research activities in the fields of: robot design and control, human-robot cooperation and physical interaction, development of soft and rigid grippers, manipulation of non-rigid materials, path/motion/mission planning for robot manipulators, mobile robots, and UAVs, intelligent and swarm control, rehabilitation systems, and industrial automation.
Role in the project
As partner of the Persephone project, the Robotics Group brings into the consortium their experience and expertise on robotic autonomy and participates in all activities of integration and testing of the mining machines. Its involvement is focused on autonomy tasks and realistic simulation of mining operations. Additionally, the Robotics Group will play a key role in conceptualizing designs for future mining machines.