Before it’s yours, we mine it.

Photographed and compiled byVeronika Sochorová

Published in 2018 by Euromines – European Association of Mining Industries, Metal Ores & Industrial Minerals, Av. De Broqueville 12, B-1150 Brussels, Belgium.

Photography: Veronika Sochorová

Text reviews and corrections: Molly Vrbicek

Graphic design: Tomáš Vejmelka

Printed by: Point CZ, s.r.o., Czech Republic

ISBN 978-2-8052-0422-7 EAN 9782805204227

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Logos, product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

This book would not exist without the generous support of Dr. Corina Hebestreit, Director of Euromines, or the close cooperation of many Euromines members' representatives. They have helped throughout

the creation of this book, and their expert advice has been gratefully received and incorporated.

We are grateful for the financial support from our PROJECT PARTNERS:

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A massive renovation to King's Cross station in London was completed in 2012. The transport hub now boasts a modern look with more space, more light and more shops and restaurants for travellers.

Aitik copper mine lies in the northernmost part of Sweden near the town of Gällivare, just inside the arctic circle. It produces more than 36 million tonnes of ore every year. Hidden within the ore is copper, silver and small amounts of gold.

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BEFORE IT’S YOURS, WE MINE IT.The extractive industry is one of the foundations of Europe, providing the material base for many other European business and industrial sectors. Most all EU industries depend on the supply of minerals and metals in one way or another.

The European mining industry represents a major industrial sector within the European Union, underpinning both wealth creation and quality of life for almost every sector of society. Except for food, virtually every single thing society consumes derives ultimately from a mine somewhere on earth, and the availability of raw materials is especially critical for basic service and high-tech industries.

Minerals and metals have always been an integral part of our everyday life, essential for development and thus, the creation of sustainable communities.

Virtually every single thing society consumes ultimately derives from a mine somewhere on earth. Without these raw materials, European citizens would be forced into lives that resemble our ancient ancestors more than the modern world. Metals and minerals not only permeate our daily lives, they provide the material base for many other European business and industrial sectors, including both basic service and high-tech sectors.

The extractive industry is one of the foundations of Europe, and as such, it plays an integral role in wealth creation, quality of life and the creation of sustainable communities through development. While Europe faces many challenges in meeting mineral and metal demands in coming years, European countries are filled with raw material resources that have not been fully explored, as well as high economic activity and some of the most creative minds in the world.

As a key player in European economies, the vehicle through which we obtain critical materials and an industry in which efficiency and safety are crucial issues, the mining industry is a leader in the widespread transition to Industry 4.0.

Industry 4.0 combines advanced technologies like automation, online communication between people and machines, big data and robotics to create smart systems and achieve new levels of optimisation. It is a complete transformation of how, where and why we produce minerals and metals.

Such progress in mining and related sectors not only improves extraction-related processes, it also opens up possibilities for a wide range of developments in old mines and other industries. As producers move on to new deposits, old mines are made available for a wide variety of purposes. Industry 4.0 developments in all industries would not be possible without the raw materials provided through mining.

Industry 4.0 makes mining and related operations better overall, which in turn is good for local communities, workers, researchers and innovators, the environment and European society at large. Right now, there are many exciting things happening in the mining INDUSTRY that benefit us all.

OUR STORIES Chapter 1

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Chapter 1: Our stories

Industry 4.0 is not just a buzz word. It’s the new era of how factories and systems can (and soon will) function to achieve higher levels of efficiency and productivity. Innovation in technologies, the tools we use, the systems we implement and the policies we pass are essential parts of the transition to the new era of industry. Innovation in mining can revolutionise safety, extraction and production processes, and environmental impact.

Continuous improvement is a must for any industry to move forward, but it’s especially essential in an industry that has to produce the very materials needed for its own operations. Europe’s only chance to remain competitive and still adhere to the highest standards of health, safety and environmental protection is to find better ways of doing things.

The ways that deposits are explored, data are analysed, operational techniques are carried out in mines and quarries, methods are used for raw material processing – all must continue to improve in terms of resource and energy efficiency, emissions and waste. Europe must also make the most of materials that are already in the market by extending their initial usage timelines and improving recycling methods for secondary lives.

Increasingly, mining activities are carried out via automated processes without having to send people into areas of mines with potentially unstable or unpredictable geological conditions. For example, laser mapping and electromagnetic probes reduce the need for unnecessary exploration drilling, gathering data more safely.

Extraction and production processes are increasingly efficient. The large machinery used in mining can now use GPS technology to increase precision and safety. Many testing and communication devices are being designed in smaller sizes, making them portable and capable of giving data feedback while still in the field.

Entire sectors are being developed in countries like Portugal where great efforts are being taken to ensure that specialised companies don’t fall behind as other parts of the value chain advance to Industry 4.0. For example, a project targeting natural stone production aims to develop and test digital technology in real industrial environments, shifting the current stone production mode to Industry 4.0.

Mine sites also provide unique conditions that allow for the testing and development of new innovations in other industries. For example, scientists can only utilise a cosmic ray detector where there is no external interference, so a site deep underground is perfect.

In the UK, new trains are tested on a section of a railway track that once served as a coal mine. Wales has created an ecological laboratory where scientists study metal-tolerant plant species on mine wastes. These plants can then be used in restoring old brownfield sites that are contaminated with metals.

In Finland, you can find the world’s longest elevator test facility. An old limestone mine with a 333-metre-deep underground shaft, embedded in solid rock and connected to a network of transportation routes, allows for safe and efficient testing of elevator equipment. Experts can even test speeds up to 17 metres per second, a process not possible in any other testing site in the world.

In underground tunnels of a former part of the still active iron ore mine in Austria, a new European research and development and construction testing center has been installed. The area is used to evaluate underground activities like tunnel safety and deep borehole application of the oil and gas industry.

Industry 4.0 is a goal for many industries outside the mining sector, and there are several EU initiatives targeting the automotive, energy, space and defence industries for fostering the development of Industry 4.0. But industry advances can’t happen in these sectors without the raw materials provided by mining. Other sources like recycling are highly limited in their capacity to meet demands, and relying on imports is not as ideal as producing raw materials within Europe.

Because value chains and European societies in different nations are so interdependent, many stakeholders across the value chain are collaborating to make sure progress continues. Concerns like ensuring a skilled workforce, education and regulations transcend national borders. Too much variety in levels of development can complicate value chains and cooperative efforts. For this reason, there have been many initiatives launched in recent years on regional, national and EU levels to encourage partnerships where companies can share new technologies that are developed in different parts of Europe and learn from companies that have successfully implemented technologies or practices that bring them closer to the Industry 4.0 standard.

Innovators use the raw materials produced through mining to constantly improve machines, including those used for mining itself. These modern drilling tools contain tungsten to make them stronger and more durable.

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Index

Before it’s yours, we mine it. 6

Our stories 8Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Development of economies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Understanding communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Tourism and heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Rehabilitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Your jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Our materials, your products 26Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Bridges and tunnels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Railway stations and airports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Nutrition and agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Design and jewellery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Jewellery and accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Glass manufacturing and porcelain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Urban architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Museums, libraries and shopping centres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Churches and castles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Smart communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Modern finances and remote devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Trains and trams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Cars and bikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Renewable energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Sun, wind and water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Your home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Cosmetics, make-up and medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Household devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Our needs 72Indium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Natural graphite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Dysprosium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Uranium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Silicon metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Tungsten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Rhenium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Yttrium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Additional Critical Raw Materials 90

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