Laurentian University - Laurentian Mining Innovation and Technology (LMIT)

The newly formed umbrella organization coordinates and promotes all mining-related research conducted at Laurentian University through centres such as the Mineral Exploration Research Centre (MERC), the Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH), the Vale Living with Lakes Centre (VLWLC) and the Mining Innovation Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO).

This one-stop approach to mining research enhances opportunities through synergistic and intuitive project alignments, shared resources, and focused coordination. Under the Laurentian Mining Innovation and Technology (LMIT) umbrella, 235 researchers are currently working in more than 20 mining-related disciplines.

Key Projects, Programs and Initiatives

Mining Value from Waste Active

The concept of tailings reprocessing is not new. However, due to technical, policy and regulatory complexities, successes have been limited.  The recovery of metal values from tailings is generally viewed as the primary incentive, but is unlikely to be successful unless it is combined with a concomitant reduction in environmental liabilities and the development of downstream market opportunities for tailings products.  CanmetMINING is developing an initiative called “Mining Value from Waste”, which aims at bringing together the Canadian R&D community to develop a more cohesive and sustained effort to develop demonstrable reprocessing technologies to address a variety of mine wastes. While currently principally focused on tackling the enormous existing and historic tailings liabilities, it is expected that this effort will grow and eventually transition to include processing opportunities for eliminating or vastly decreasing the generation of new tailings.

Benefits

Deriving economic values from mine waste, reducing liabilities asociated with mine waste

Areas of focus

  • Mine Closure 
  • Tailings Reprocessing 
  • Flotation
  • Regulations 
  • Tailings Management
  • Mineral Processing