The overall aim of REMIND is to develop an innovative framework of interplay between Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and innovative Water Treatment Technologies in the logic of a sustainable growth for mining industries. The novel paradigms explored are expected to drastically reduce the environmental impact due to extensive water and energy consumption, and to release of untreated wastewater during the production cycle of copper and gold. The REMIND collaborative network among European Union, Chile and Ecuador is in line with EU policy and strategy for raw materials supply; moreover, this partnership supports the economic and research efforts of Latin American countries towards a more eco-friendly and RES-driven development.
The bi-directional knowledge transfer activities implemented in REMIND aim to:
i) implement a rational use of water resources in the logic of circular economy;
ii) promote a carbon-free technological approach (water-energy nexus) for reducing conventional energy resources requirements, and
iii) mitigate health environmental risk in two demonstration sites (mining districts of Antofagasta – CL and Regione de l’Oro – EC), and iv) exploit the intersectorial cooperation between academia and industry by setting best practices for knowledge transfer in analogous contexts.
REMIND brings together 8 leading High Education Institutions and Large Companies from 4 Countries (Italy, Spain, Chile and Ecuador), and implements a multisectorial and transdisciplinary network that generates 64 secondments and 73 Knowledge Transfer Activities.