Course group - TB2-GEOMINES
Mineral resources refer to natural solid substances that are extracted from the earth's crust and have economic value. They are essential to our daily lives, playing a crucial role in various fields such as the manufacture of glass and concrete with sand, the use of rare earths in smartphones and MRI scanners for medical applications, the exploitation of lithium in electric vehicles, the use of kaolin in the production of paper and ceramics, and aggregates in road construction. In the coming decades, demand for these resources is set to grow considerably, presenting major challenges in terms of supply chains and raising social, economic and environmental concerns related to mining. Although metal recycling, which is part of the circular economy principles, is a necessary solution to meet this growing demand, unfortunately it cannot meet all our needs.
From this perspective, the opening or re-opening of mines appears to be a necessary step in meeting current and future challenges, while taking into account local impacts on the environment and populations. This approach combines elements of geopolitics with knowledge of earth sciences and mining processes. The aim of this toolbox is to provide students with the knowledge and understanding they need to meet the challenges of the energy transition in our society and industry, while integrating environmental and social concerns.
What is the volume of the world's mineral resources? How dependent is Europe on critical and strategic metals? What types of deposits exist? How are they formed? How can we characterize them and assess their potential? What extraction processes exist? ... The GeoMines Toolbox is specifically designed to provide answers to these questions.
This TB focuses on two Pedagogical Units (Ups), combining lectures with practical work and field trips:
It involves academic (MSE, Université Savoie Mont Blanc) and industrial (Imerys, Eramet, Cemex) contributors.
The GeoMines toolbox provides a better understanding of some of the scientific, technical and industrial issues related to mineral resources. Its pedagogical content supports other ICM cycle courses such as the "Processes for Energy" Major, the "Urban and Industrial Environment" Major and the "Energy Transition" Challenge. GeoMines also complements other toolboxes, such as TB1-GRESIPOL, TB2-Environmental Assessment, and the O5 "Introduction to Earth Sciences" module. Finally, GeoMines draws on MSE's heritage resources, using samples from the "Rock, Mineral and Ore Collections" in its teaching. Finally, GeoMines is in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7, 9, 12 and 13.