TAILOR-MADE

Use of mine tailings to carbonate minerals by a symbiotic CC and DAC bio-strategy.

Project team: Ulrika Rova (project leader), Io Antonopoulou, Kyriakos Antoniadis, Paul Christakopoulos

Partners: Ore Geology LTU; Boliden Mineral; LKAB and Copperstone Resources

Duration: 2023-2028

Funded by the Swedish Energy Agency

The industrial green transition causes a larger-than-ever demand of metals and thus more mining activity that generates large amounts of waste like mine tailings with to-date limited further utilization. The aim of TAILOR-MADE is to investigate the potential of typical Swedish mine tailings, rich in Ca- Si- and Mg-bearing minerals, to capture and store CO2 (CCS). Two different CO2 sources will be tested, industrial emissions and direct air capture (DAC) by utilizing a novel enzyme (i.e. carbonic anhydrase) assisted CO2 hydration step to boost both the CCS processes and compare it with the natural enhanced weathering process that has the potential to sequester CO2 on decadal to centennial timescales. The results will provide insights into the suitability of Swedish mine tailings for CCS, using novel CO2 capture strategies, and the cost effectiveness of each process.