The CSM Scientific Network: Looking at the Priorities of the 5 Research Topics

The creation of the CSM Research Network is part of the Québec Plan for the Development of Critical and Strategic Minerals (2020-2025).

Indeed, the government held a public consultation on the development of critical and strategic minerals in Quebec. From November 2019 to February 2020, 6 meetings were held in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Capitale-Nationale, Côte-Nord, Montréal, Nord-du-Québec and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions. The aim was to gather the opinions of regional partners and Aboriginal communities on the directions the government should take. A total of 140 participants from the municipal, industrial, mining and environmental sectors took part in the discussions. One of the conclusions was that efforts should be made to acquire multi-level knowledge of critical and strategic minerals.

In 2020, a number of universities, college technology transfer centers and research centers had already been working for several years to meet the needs of promoters of critical and strategic mineral projects. These projects were carried out with the help of non-specific programs and without necessarily any coordination between research players.

This led to the realization that, on the one hand, knowledge needed to be developed and, on the other, that it could be beneficial to combine forces and budgets to develop and carry out pre-competitive research projects that meet the needs of critical and strategic mineral industries.

This observation was reflected in the first orientation of the plan, entitled "Increasing knowledge and expertise on CSMs", which included a joint action by the MRNF and MEIE to "Sustain the creation of a CSM-specific scientific network".

As session co-chair and chair of the CSM Scientific Network Steering Committee, Mr. Beaudry will present the new CSM Network. He will summarize all activities to date.

Whether for mining, industrial or any other type of project, social acceptability remains a key issue for all stakeholders involved in a project. It requires a great deal of empathy from the parties involved and a strong capacity to listen, it is based on values that resonate with one and all. These were the priorities emerging from a recent thematic workshop on the ESG concept and the circular economy, attended by experts from industry, consulting firms and government departments, as well as college and university researchers linked to critical and strategic minerals. Learn more about these workshop results in a talk by an expert in social acceptability and the ESG concept.

The environment will also be on the agenda at this conference, as the issue of efficient use of mineral resources was raised at the same preparatory workshop. A mining environment expert will summarize the key issues raised at this thematic workshop.

The axis director will report on his appointment by his peers. He will then summarize the workshops held and the priority results and recommendations concerning advances in geometallurgy and geoenvironment.

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the gouvernement du Québec will promote the use of electric vehicles and green energies within a framework of sustainable development. This will create a unique opportunity to consolidate the value chain from raw materials to finished products, including recycling. In this context, the development of Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, which have a fairly high energy density, will make it possible to build more efficient electric vehicles, as well as energy storage units. Given that these products require large quantities of critical and strategic metals (CSMs) in various forms, it is important to exploit our CSM deposits as efficiently as possible. The work of the various committees will therefore be presented in terms of the 5 development axes of the CSM network. This presentation will reveal the summary of our discussions associated with the priority issues and potential projects of axis 3 – extraction and concentration. The two co-directors of this axis are researchers Patrick Laflamme (COREM) and Gervais Soucy (Université de Sherbrooke).

The development of the CSM industry in Quebec cannot be based solely on the exploitation of natural resources. Recycling and valorization of CSMs is an essential approach to ensuring the rational use of resources, in line with the principles of sustainable development. In order to achieve this, there are many technological challenges facing all the players involved, who, more than ever, will need to collaborate to meet the needs associated with the energy transition.

This conference will review the findings of the workshop on recycling and valorization, and present the research axes and priority issues identified.

Results of the CSM Network workshop on Axis 5 - 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd transformation.

A workshop involving 22 members of the CSM Network was held at Université Laval on September 5, 2023, to identify and prioritize issues and potential research projects for Axis 5 - first, second and third transformation. A summary of the issues and projects discussed, and the resulting actions will be presented.