Innovating to sustainably extract and transform metals

1. Carbon Free Production

Reducing the CO₂ footprint of Eramet’s value chain by aiming for economically viable net-zero carbon emissions (scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions).

2. Eliminate Waste

Create value from by-products and mining waste to minimize the environmental impacts of residues, slag, and dust.

3. Maximize Product Value

Enhance competitiveness by improving product quality to optimize the value of deposits and the consumption of mineral resources.

4. Net Zero Water Consumption

Control and optimize water consumption and recovery while ensuring optimal quality of discharges.

5. Zero Harm

Taking care of the health and safety of our employees and the environment while protecting biodiversity.

6. New Business Opportunities

Identify future business opportunities as well as products aligned with Eramet’s circular economy strategy and objectives.

Multiple areas of expertise

Eramet’s expertise spans the entire value chain of metals.
The teams combine recognized skills:

• Mining:
  To understand deposits and thus optimize the planning and development of mining operations to maximize the value of ores and the lifespan of mines.
• Geometallurgy:
  To bridge the gap between mining and metallurgy. This approach relies on chemical and mineralogical analyses representative of the deposit. The ores are then enriched through mineral processing methods (separations based on density, granularity, magnetism, electrostatic or surface properties).
• Metallurgy:
  Ores are processed and transformed into higher value-added materials using hydrometallurgical processes (chemical treatment in solution) or pyrometallurgical processes (smelting, high-temperature reduction).
• Digital Mines:
  Our digital team utilizes advanced modeling tools, interpolation/extrapolation, and algorithmic analysis to simulate and optimize mining and metallurgical operations.

Flagship projects

Argentina

Lithium development

10 years of research and laboratory development and 5 years of continuous piloting have enabled the teams at Eramet Ideas to develop the direct lithium extraction (DLE) process. This process is now used at the Eramet Eramine plant in Argentina to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate, with a very high direct extraction yield (around 90%).

France

Advances in direct extraction of geothermal lithium in Alsace

Eramet, in partnership with Électricité de Strasbourg, is developing the Ageli project to extract lithium from geothermal brines in Alsace in order to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. To achieve this, Eramet Ideas has adapted the process developed for its project in Argentina to Alsatian geothermal brines and their operating conditions (a temperature of 80°C and a pressure of 20 bars). The process has proven its effectiveness and makes it possible to envision local and sustainable production with high yields.

Gabon

Innovation and valorization of manganese

In Gabon, innovation supports both the improvement of manganese ore quality and the development of local processing solutions. Eramet Ideas is involved in optimizing the agglomeration process to handle poorer raw materials and by-products, and contributes to the construction of an on-site pilot unit dedicated to the processing and valorization of these materials.

Norway

Towards low-carbon metallurgy

Structuring projects aim to improve the energy efficiency of furnaces and develop low-carbon metallurgy, notably by replacing fossil fuels with sustainable biochar. The teams from Eramet Ideas and Trondheim are working on the preparation of raw materials, innovative instrumentation tools, and providing support for furnace operations. This decarbonization strategy is based on R&D actions to qualify these new materials and validate their performance, from laboratory scale to an industrial scale that is economically value-creating.