Exploration, mining and extraction of critical raw materials: basic and practical knowledge

Access to critical minerals and materials crucial to our wealth and well-being must be produced in a sustainable way. This means that the research must deal with metals and minerals that are innovation-critical, necessary for green/smart transition, rare, of insufficient supply or which should not be traded from conflict zones. Various component of the course makes it useful for professionals and hands-on with lectures, assignments, homeworks, fieldcourse and field reports as well as rock physics lab.

Topics

Sustainable exploration, mining and extraction of critical raw materials

Course element:

• Critical and strategic raw materials
• Sustainability, SDGs, ESG and social aspects (the value chain)
• Exploration methods
• Geological and ore forming context
• Physical properties
• Geophysical methods
• Drilling technologies
• Extraction and mineral processing methods
• Rock quality and mining methods
• Nano-tech solutions
• Ground water contamination and accessibility
• Environmental assessments
• Mine tailing and beneficiation
• Site visits and hands-on (Epiroc, Blötberget, labs)

Course structure

The course is a combination of in-person, hybrid and hands-on including field trips.

You will learn

By the end of the course, you will be able to: analyse what exploration methods are used for what commodities, have good knowledge of the state-of-the-art solutions and incorporate your learning in todays industry practices.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for those who are geologists, engineers or work with sustainability to learn how critical raw materials are explored, mined and turn to metals. It is open to both university students but also industry participants from relevant sectors.

How much time do I need for the course?

The course will run from 25 August - 5 December 2025 and will in sum require 100 hrs of commitments.

Check the SERC center for more updates: www.smartexploration.se