BHUBANESWAR : Central public sector enterprise Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) has roped in city-based Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT) for research and development of technology for exploration of minerals.
Sources said IMMT will help HCL explore the recovery of critical minerals including rare earth elements (REEs), trace elements and copper from copper ores, concentrates and tailings.
The growth of green technologies such as EVs, wind turbines and other applications in electronic items require both commercial minerals such as copper and critical minerals including REEs. With global supply chains concentrated, recovering these critical minerals from copper ores and wastes offers a strategic domestic resource to strengthen critical minerals security, sources said.
HCL under the Ministry of Mines, which has been engaged in mining, production, processing and marketing of copper and related products, is now focusing on mining and beneficiation of copper ore and sale of copper concentrate. IMMT, Bhubaneswar hosts a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on critical minerals under the National Centre for Minerals and Materials (NCMM), which has a network of R&D laboratories and industries to develop indigenous technologies and pilot-scale solutions for securing country’s critical mineral value chains. HCL is a key industrial spoke of the CoE, facilitating industry-driven research.
The collaborative project was formally launched on Monday in the presence of chairman and managing director of HCL Sanjiv Kumar Singh and IMMT director Ramanuj Narayan. “The project aims to establish scientific insights into mineral occurrence, assess viability of recovery and generate a roadmap for process development at pilot scale,” said chief scientist of IMMT CoE Kali Sanjay.