MinBaS – a common platform for the minerals, aggregates and stone industry

With a programme to develop Sweden’s mineral extraction sectors – minerals, aggregates and stone – recently completed after several years of work, a common platform has been established for future cooperation. This, together with an integrated knowledge bank, advances in knowledge and targeted information campaigns, paves the way for further development of these industries.

Between spring 2003 and June 2005, SGU has been tasked by the Government to lead a development programme for the industrial minerals, aggregates and natural stone industries – MinBaS. MinBaS has been one of the focus areas of Sweden’s national programme for the development of innovation systems and clusters.

The work has been undertaken in very close collaboration with companies and organizations in the industrial minerals, aggregates and natural stone industries. The overall aim has been to promote growth and sustainable development of the minerals industry.

Effects throughout society

In all, some thirty projects, comprising a range of subprojects, have been carried out as part of MinBaS. The results will have a direct impact on the sectors involved, but also on the industries that depend on MinBaS companies: pulp and paper, construction, chemicals, steel, non-ferrous metals etc.

A better understanding of production processes, the characteristics of crushed rock, new applications etc. will also open up new opportunities for the different sectors to achieve greater efficiency, improve the working environment, move into completely new fields of production and so on.

Evaluation

The Dahmén Institute has undertaken a process and outcome evaluation of MinBaS. One of the points highlighted in its report is that the programme has laid a foundation for cooperation in several directions in a highly diverse sector in which, in the past, collaborative traditions have been poorly developed. This cooperation spans different subsectors, researchers, customers, suppliers and public agencies. It has given the sectors concerned a national platform for work both at the local level and in Sweden as a whole, as well as for future involvement in joint European projects. MinBaS has also made possible initiatives which would otherwise have been mounted on a very limited scale, if at all.

Five programme areas

The programme has focused on five areas:

• Optimizing the production process, from extraction to finished product
• Developing new applications for minerals, aggregates and natural stone
• Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the minerals industry
• Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the natural stone industry
• Follow-up and planning for the future

Tangible results

The aim has been to promote research and development that will make a real difference to participating companies. In general, the focus has been on tangible results. Here are a few examples:

More efficient processes

One result of MinBaS is a new, extensive knowledge base on production processes relevant to the minerals, aggregates and natural stone industries. With better knowledge at their disposal, these industries can improve the efficiency of their production, reduce energy consumption, make better use of the materials they extract, and also create better working environments. The new knowledge gained has been made available in manuals for production personnel and others, for example, but also through seminars, courses and information meetings.

The concrete of the future

An important area of work in the aggregates sector has been ‘the concrete of the future’. Manufacturers and others have collaborated with the Swedish Cement and Concrete Research Institute on a study of how the properties of different types of crushed rock affect the characteristics of the concrete produced. The aim has been to develop methods to obtain crushed rock with the right properties for concrete production. This is also in line with the environmental objective ‘A Good Built Environment’: under this heading, SGU is responsible for a target to reduce the use of natural gravel. The project has also included studies of the use of residual products as aggregates.

The new findings provide a basis for aggregates producers, filler suppliers and concrete manufacturers to further improve their products, and for machinery suppliers to market new types of crushing equipment.

New fields of application

Two new, important fields of application have been identified: materials for use in covering landfills, and filter materials for water treatment. Market and methods studies have looked at potential volumes, quality requirements for such products, different types of applications, and regulations, legislation etc. One result of this work is a pilot version of a materials database for the sector, designed to help in the selection of landfill cover materials.

High-purity graphite and super-pure quartz

Deposits of attractive industrial minerals, especially quartz and graphite, are already known to exist. As a basis for production of high-purity graphite and super-pure quartz, market research has been carried out, in parallel with technical studies. This has generated the basic data which the small businesses involved need to develop the purification processes and levels of product quality required to compete on an international market.

Greater knowledge about applications for natural stone

To increase the use of natural stone, a better understanding is needed of the characteristics of different types of stone and how they can be used. The focus here has been on developing information material in the form of manuals, films, presentational material etc., aimed at architects, designers, property owners and public agencies. A very tangible example is Stenhandboken (‘The Stone Manual’) – a compilation of data and instructions on the installation and use of natural stone in various applications, which will be of use to manufacturers, architects, building planners and others.

Background

MinBaS grew out of several years of collaboration between companies and organizations in the industrial minerals, aggregates and natural stone sectors. In 1999–2000 a joint study was carried out, headed by SGU, resulting in proposals for a major development programme for these sectors with the working name of MinBaS – in Swedish, short for ‘Minerals–Aggregates–Stone’.

An essential component of MinBaS has been close cooperation between the sectors in question, closely related and other industries and the research community, between producers and customers, with suppliers of equipment and services, and with government agencies and organizations in the industrial policy field.

The programme has had a total budget of SEK 49.3 million. The initial requirement was that industry and government would each provide half the funds needed. However, industry, which has also had the lead responsibility for implementing the project, has increased its funding to SEK 34.3 million, or 70 per cent of the total. The state, through SGU, has contributed SEK 15 million.