Betolar accelerates the commercialisation of its mining solutions

Press release
1.11.2023, Levi, Finland

Betolar accelerates the commercialisation of its mining solutions

Betolar accelerates the commercial utilisation of its construction materials technology in the mining industry, which generates large quantities of currently unused side-stream materials. Betolar has become a member of Mining Finland, a cooperation association for mining ecosystem actors in Finland.

"There is huge potential to exploit the by-products of the mining industry, with a significant commercial value. With our technology, the side streams can be used as binders and aggregates for concrete, reducing, among other things, the use of cement and its negative impact on the climate," Pasi Karekivi, Betolar's Mining Business Development Director, said at the Fennoscandian Exploration and Mining conference in Levi, Finland.

With solutions developed and patented by Betolar for the concrete industry, side-stream materials can be used in large mass structures in the mining industry. Betolar's solution can replace most or all of the use of cement in mining structures. Even economically useless side streams can be used safely to stabilise soil and tailings instead of being landfilled.

Norway’s new mineral strategy points the way to Nordic and European regulation. The strategy aims to accelerate the uptake of solutions for the mineral industry. The Norwegian government's policy is that the mineral industry should promote a circular economy by increasing the use of resources and minimising the need for disposal. In Finland, the government programme also includes the creation of a minerals strategy for Finland.

Mining side streams replace cement

A significant share of CO2 emissions from construction comes from cement production. With the increasing use of concrete structures, without alternative binders, the demand for cement would increase at an accelerating rate. Betolar's solutions can process mining and metal industry by-products into cement substitutes.

The use of side-stream materials instead of cement will significantly increase their demand. At current consumption levels, replacing cement would require four billion tonnes of side-stream materials globally every year.

"However, the total availability of standardised side-stream materials such as blast furnace slag and fly ash is only about a quarter of the quantities needed to replace cement. New sources of side streams must therefore be found. In addition, the availability of blast furnace slag and fly ash will decrease significantly in the near future as a result of the green shift," says Karekivi.

Betolar is conducting extensive research into side-stream materials using digital solutions to find and standardise new cement substitutes for construction use.

"The benefits are multiple, as mining side streams can be used to make concrete without cement. The by-products that currently end up as waste thus gain a commercial value, as they can be used both as binders and aggregates."

Betolar's patented solution improves the safe storing of mining waste

As a materials technology company, Betolar develops new innovative methods, such as value fraction recovery methods and methods to improve the quality of the side stream.

Last year, Betolar was granted a patent for a method and arrangement for treating waste material and converting it into a reinforcing binder. The method allows the binder to be commercially exploited. This will create value for the waste material that currently generates costs.

Globally, the mining, metal extraction and beneficiation processes generate huge amounts of metal-containing wastewater, sludge and slurries, which are difficult to treat and pose environmental risks. The handling and storage of waste materials in mining areas require massive ponds with a significant risk of spills.

The disposal of liquid and sludge waste materials in the ponds will generate costs over the life cycle of the ponds. Storage requires substantial investment in the ponds and constant monitoring and maintenance of the condition of the ponds.

The Betolar process transforms waste material, such as gypsum slurry, into a reactive and consolidating binder that can be used to harden and stabilise the waste material to be disposed of in a cost-effective way. The economic benefits come from reduced investment and maintenance costs for the ponds. In addition, the environmental safety of the mine and the management of water and dust will be significantly improved.

"Our aim is to treat wastewater, sludge and fines from the mining industry. Once treated, the waste materials can be used in various civil engineering applications in mining areas and for stabilising soil and tailings without cement. Mining waste can be stored, saving space and costs. Above all, it is safer for the environment," says Pasi Karekivi.

Betolar part of the global mining value chain

Betolar has developed cementless or low-cement building material technology solutions for various precast concrete products, from pavers to hollow-core slabs. The mining solutions will significantly expand the company's offering and enable the use of mine side streams in the transition from a linear to a circular economy.

As the mining industry takes a more prominent role in Betolar's business, the company has joined Mining Finland, an industry association.

"Through our cutting-edge mining technologies, services and training exports, our members are able to provide a wide range of expertise to meet the needs of the entire mining value chain. We see significant export potential for Betolar's excellence in the global mining industry," says Lasse Moilanen, CEO of Mining Finland.

Betolar Oyj
Communications

For more information

Pasi Karekivi, Mining Business Development Director, pasi.karekivi@betolar.com, +358 40 728 3802

Martta Valkola, Head of Marketing and Communications, martta.valkola@betolar.com, +358 40 5471981

Betolar solutions for the mining industry https://www.betolar.com/mining-solutions

About Betolar

Betolar Plc is a Finnish materials technology company that offers the production of sustainable and low-carbon concrete with the Geoprime solution. The solution converts industrial side streams into a cement substitute.

Betolar's artificial intelligence innovation can significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to traditional cement-based concrete production by optimizing existing manufacturing processes, supporting solution development with advanced analytics, and creating global markets for side streams. Betolar's mission is to help reduce CO2 emissions and the use of virgin resources.

Betolar was founded in 2016 and is domiciled in Kannonkoski, Finland. Betolar is listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market.

For more information, visit www.betolar.com