VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Finland (Lead partner)
VTT is a visionary research, development and innovation partner for companies and the society. We bring together people, business, science and technology to solve the biggest challenges of our time. This is how we create sustainable growth, jobs and wellbeing and bring exponential hope.
VTT is one of the leading research organisations in Europe, and we have nearly 80 years of experience in cutting-edge research and science-based results. Our more than 2,000 professionals work to develop systemic and technological solutions that can bring about fundamental transformation.
We promise to always think beyond the obvious.
Agnico Eagle Finland Oy
Agnico Eagle Finland is a subsidiary of Canadian gold-mining company Agnico Eagle Mines Limited. It owns the Kittila mine and engages actively in mineral exploration in Finland and other Nordic countries. Acquired from Riddarhyttan Resources AB in November 2005, the Kittilä mine was Agnico Eagle’s first operation outside of Canada. Agnico Eagle acts with complete integrity while building world class operations. Kittilä gold mine has underground mining operations and concentrator plant with yearly production volume of 2 Mt/a of ore and 6,000 kg gold. The ore mining is done using nitrogen-based explosives and gold production process utilizes nitrogen containing chemicals, therefore there is need of nitrogen management technologies for mine waters to improve sustainability
Aquaminerals Finland Oy
Aquaminerals is a new clean-tech company focusing on water purification and water technology. Our products are based on ground-breaking research, on the basis of which several patents regarding activated natural minerals are pending or issued to us. Our solutions can be used for removing soluble metals and nitrogen from process and wastewater. We also supply dosing devices for their products. Aquaminerals takes care of the life cycle impacts of their products, and they make sure that the deposits of the water treatment are disposed of properly. In an ideal situation, the deposits are re-utilised and recycled.
BioSO4 Oy
BioSO4 develops novel and original water treatment products and also acts as a distributor supplying to global mining reagent producers. BioSO4 commenced commercial activities in 2018 with the production of a patented sustainable BioSO4–biopolymer method, in which sulphur, sulphide, sulphate, thiosulphate, sulphite, bisulphite and metabisulphite can all be effectively recovered and recycled from both liquids and gases. In addition, biopolymer by-products are used for heavy metal removal and liquidized biopolymers act as BioSO4-flocculants for wastewater treatment. They have also developed an accurate method for analysing the concentrations of various xanthates (SEX, SIBX, PAX, …) from primary raw materials as well as from environmental residues. This method can also be used to investigate the quality of many other mining reagents.
Brightplus Oy
Brightplus is a pioneering Finnish biosourced materials company. We create reusable, recyclable and biodegradable side-stream material solutions with our visionary chemistry. Our offering ranges from coating and barrier solutions to plastic replacement materials. Brightplus supports leading global manufacturers and major brands in e.g. packaging, consumer goods and agriculture to achieve their sustainability goals. Our team works closely with customers to co-create innovations that seamlessly comply with their existing processing methods and requirements. Our side-stream solutions reduce the circularity gap and meet EU Green Deal 2030 targets.
In wastewater purification, a vast amount of side-streams is left as unutilized. Our intention is to gain new knowledge how to derive renewable materials from bio-based wastewater side-streams, in order to replace fossil-based materials.
Gasum Oy
Gasum offers an environment-friendly alternative to oil-derived fuels and coal, and help their clients achieve their emission reduction targets. The bridge towards a carbon neutral society is being built today. Gasum is a forerunner in sustainable Nordic energy solutions and circular economy. Gasum is the leading supplier of biogas and processer of biodegradable waste fractions in the Nordic countries. They promote the circular economy by processing waste and producing biogas and recycled nutrients in Finland and Sweden. Gasum is developing the Nordic gas ecosystem purposefully and responsibly.
Hannukainen Mining Oy
Hannukainen Mining was set up in 2015 to make use of the ore reserves of the Hannukainen ore deposit located in the municipality of Kolari. As a rule, mining operations are to be carried out in areas that have already been previously mined by various mining companies. Based on surveys, three metals can be mined from the Hannukainen deposit – iron, copper and gold.
Hannukainen Mining wants to create sustainable well-being in Lapland. When planning its mining operations, the company takes into account local needs and values, including employment, tourism, operational opportunities for other livelihoods and the environment. It is important for the company to operate locally, primarily using services and labour from Kolari.
The goal of Hannukainen Mining is to make the Kolari mine as clean as possible. Mine planning is a long term activity. The operation is based on solutions proven to be safe. During the operations, we will seek to develop new solutions and models that can be productised and used in other mines around the world. For Hannukainen Mining the aim of TYPKI-project is to develop concrete solutions, which can be used for stabilizing nitrogen and sulphate containing water streams.
Tapojärvi Oy
Tapojärvi is a 65-year-old family business from Northern Finland. Tapojärvi enjoys a long history of diverse mining projects, material handling as well as managing factory and industrial processes in different parts of Finland and Sweden. Tapojärvi has two unique valorisation plants in Tornio, where by-products of ferrochrome and refined steel slag are made into their own CE-marked products. Construction of a third concentration plant is being planned. Tapojärvi have almost 700 in-house experts working in 13 different locations around Europe.
Tapojärvi takes the environment into account in its operations, and keeps seeking new solutions that support the principles of sustainable development and affect the environment as little as possible. The company engages in continuous development and research of utilisation of industrial side streams and reusable materials. TYPKI project addresses the growing demand for more sustainable treatment of side streams formed in mining environments.
Industrial Water Ltd.
Industrial Water Ltd. (Teollisuuden Vesi Oy) is a Finnish water treatment service company with special expertise in process microbiology. We treat water to meet quality requirements of household use, industrial applications and discharge for sewage. We develop methods for more efficient water recycling to value every single droplet of clean water.
University of Oulu
Oulu University is a multidisciplinary university with 16,000 students and over 3,000 employees located in the north of Finland. The university has ten faculties, which range from humanities and medicine to business, science and technology. The Fiber and Particle Engineering Unit led by Professor Mirja Illikainen carries out research in the field of inorganic materials in circular economy as well as biomaterials and biochemicals. Alkali-activated materials for water treatment is an emerging topic in the unit, led by Assistant Professor Tero Luukkonen. Most of the research is conducted in close collaboration with industrial companies.
Valmet Oyj
Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. Valmet’s vision is to become the global champion in serving its customers. Their more than 14,000 professionals around the world work close to their customers and are committed to moving their customers’ performance forward – every day. The company has over 200 years of industrial history and was reborn through the demerger of the pulp, paper and power businesses from Metso Group in December 2013. Valmet’s net sales in 2020 were approximately EUR 3.7 billion. Valmet’s head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.
Yara Suomi Oy
As the world’s leading fertilizer company and a provider of environmental solutions, Yara address global challenges and create positive change. Yara grows knowledge to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet. Supporting their vision of a world without hunger, they pursue a strategy of sustainable value growth, promoting climate-friendly and high-yielding crop nutrition solutions for the world’s farming community and food industry. Yara’s ambition is to be the Crop Nutrition Company for the Future. Founded in 1905 to solve the emerging famine in Europe, Yara has established a unique position as the industry’s only global crop nutrition company. With their integrated business model and a worldwide presence of around 16,000 employees and operations in over 60 countries, they offer a proven track record of responsible and reliable returns. In 2019, Yara reported revenues of USD 12.9 billion.
TYPKI international cooperation
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Research at KIT is focused on the application of membranes for water applications by utilization of new membrane materials with higher efficiency and controllable contaminant and micro pollutant removal. This approach is combined with deep understanding of retention and fouling in complex and realistic water matrices in forming material development and process design development of systems that operate long term in the most difficult circumstances, such as rural area or developing countries.
University of Verona (UV)
The research activities of UV focus on design, implementation, verification and validation of advanced biological processes for nitrogen and phosphorus removal from nitrogenous wastewater (e.g. anaerobic digestate of sewage sludge) in pilot, demonstrative and full-scale Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR). This approach includes treatment of low-strength wastewater for nitrogen and phosphorus removal via nitrite (e.g., nitrification and denitrification, deammonification) and anaerobic treatment of high and low strength organic wastewater for COD removal, and biogas production. Additionally, resource recovery, such as production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) using raw materials such as primary, secondary sludge and/or the organic fraction of municipal organic waste (OFMSW), production and recovery of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) through acidogenic fermentation, and recovery of cellulose and phosphorus (e.g. struvite) from sewage sludge and zoo technical effluents are the key expertise areas of UV.
University of Padua (UP)
UP has a strong expertise in the areas of material science and chemistry. The research group of professor Paolo Colombo specializes in the development of highly porous ceramics and geopolymers. They have studied and pioneered several manufacturing methods such as direct foaming, 3D printing (robocasting), sacrificial filler methods, and granulation. In addition, they have studied the applications of the porous components in water treatment and catalytic processes.