X-MINE · Project

X-Ray Sorting Technology That Lets Mines Extract More Value From Every Ton of Rock

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Imagine you're running a mine but you're blasting and crushing tons of rock just to find the valuable bits hidden inside — it's like opening every single letter in a mailroom to find the one with a check. X-MINE built X-ray scanners that can "see" what's inside rocks in real time, right at the mine face. This means you can sort valuable ore from waste rock automatically, before it ever reaches the expensive crushing and chemical processing stage. The technology was tested at 4 real mines across Europe, scanning for everything from gold and copper to rare critical metals like indium and gallium.

By the numbers

Real mine pilot sites across Europe (Sweden, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus)

Consortium partners across 9 countries

73%

Industry ratio in consortium

Industrial supplier partners

Mining company partners

Months project duration

Mobile pilot sorting prototypes built

Demo deliverables completed

€9.3M

Requested EC contribution

The business problem

What needed solving

Mining companies waste enormous resources processing rock that contains little or no valuable minerals. Without real-time analysis at the extraction point, everything gets blasted, hauled, crushed, and chemically processed — burning energy, water, and chemicals on material that should have been discarded as waste rock. This makes smaller and complex deposits economically unviable, leaving potential European mineral resources untapped.

The solution

What was built

The project built integrated X-ray sensor systems (XRF + XRT + 3D vision) combined with automated mineral sorting equipment, plus drill core analysis prototypes for exploration. Concrete outputs include 2 mobile pilot sorting prototypes, a pilot sorting facility at Comex, 4 generations of integrated multisensor prototypes, and drill core analysis prototypes with 140 mm XRT camera and XRF spectrometer — all tested at 4 operational mines.

Audience

Who needs this

Mining operators with declining ore grades or complex depositsCritical raw materials suppliers sourcing indium, gallium, germanium, or rare earth elementsMining equipment manufacturers looking to add sensor-based sortingMine planning consultants integrating real-time ore characterization into workflowsEnvironmental compliance teams at mining operations seeking to reduce chemical and water usage

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Mining and mineral extraction

any

Target: Small-to-medium mining operators working complex or declining deposits

If you are a mining company struggling with declining ore grades or complex deposits that are borderline profitable — this project developed real-time X-ray sorting prototypes deployed at 4 mine sites across Sweden, Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus. The sensor-based sorting separates valuable ore from waste rock before downstream processing, cutting energy, water, and chemical use. Two mobile pilot sorting prototypes were built specifically for on-site testing at different mine scales.

Critical raw materials supply

enterprise

Target: Companies sourcing rare earth elements, indium, gallium, germanium, or platinum group metals

If you are a technology manufacturer dependent on critical raw materials like indium, gallium, germanium, or rare earth elements — this project proved that X-ray fluorescence and transmission sensors can detect these metals during standard mining of zinc, copper, and gold deposits. The 4 pilot sites demonstrated extraction of associated critical metals that would otherwise be lost in waste streams. With 15 consortium partners including 6 industrial suppliers, the sensor technology is designed for integration into existing operations.

Mining equipment and technology

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers of mineral processing and sorting equipment

If you are a mining equipment supplier looking to add sensor-based ore sorting to your product line — this project developed and tested integrated multisensor prototypes combining XRF spectrometry, XRT cameras (140 mm and 420 mm), and 3D vision systems. The consortium included 6 industrial suppliers who built 4 generations of multisensor prototypes, plus drill core analysis prototypes for exploration. The technology was validated across different mine sizes and mineral targets over 51 months.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this sorting technology at my mine?

The project data does not disclose per-unit equipment pricing. With €9.3M in requested EU funding across 15 partners, the R&D investment was substantial, suggesting this is industrial-grade equipment rather than a low-cost add-on. Contact the consortium partners for current commercial pricing.

Can this scale to large mining operations or is it lab-only?

This was explicitly designed for industrial scale. The technology was deployed at 4 existing mining operations ranging from small-scale to large-scale in Sweden, Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Two mobile pilot sorting prototypes were built for on-site use, and the sorting facility at Comex was upgraded from research to piloting scale.

Who owns the intellectual property and can I license it?

IP is distributed across the 15-partner consortium, which includes 6 industrial suppliers and 4 mining companies. Key technology partners include VTT (coordinator, Finland), COMEX (sorting facility), ADVCZ (XRT cameras), and ORE (XRF spectrometers). Licensing would need to be negotiated with specific technology owners.

Does this work for my specific minerals?

The pilots were validated across zinc-lead-silver-gold, copper-gold, and gold deposits, plus detection of associated critical metals including indium, gallium, germanium, platinum group metals, and rare earth elements. The XRF and XRT sensor combination is designed to identify multiple mineral signatures simultaneously.

How long before I could deploy this at my site?

The project ran for 51 months and completed in August 2021. Mobile pilot sorting prototypes were built specifically for deployment at mine sites. Since the project is closed, the technology partners may now offer commercial versions. Based on available project data, the prototypes went through at least 4 iterations of multisensor integration.

Does this help with environmental regulations and permitting?

The project explicitly targeted reduced blasting, lower energy use, less water consumption, fewer chemicals, and reduced worker exposure during processing. Lifecycle and health-and-safety performance evaluations were conducted at all 4 pilot sites. These documented improvements could strengthen environmental impact assessments and permitting applications.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a strong, industry-heavy consortium with 73% industry participation — 11 out of 15 partners are from the private sector, including 6 SMEs. The mix of 6 industrial equipment suppliers and 4 mining companies means the technology was built by people who make mining equipment and tested by people who actually run mines. VTT, the Finnish national research center, coordinated the project, providing credibility and project management weight. The 9-country spread (AU, BG, CY, CZ, EL, FI, PL, RO, SE) covers major European mining regions. With only 1 university partner, this was clearly an industry-driven project aimed at commercial deployment rather than academic publication.

TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYCoordinator · FI
ADVAFAB OYparticipant · FI
INSTITUTUL GEOLOGIC AL ROMANIEIparticipant · RO
UPPSALA UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE
HELLAS GOLD S.A.participant · EL
HELLENIC COPPER MINES LIMITEDparticipant · CY
ANTMICRO SP ZOOparticipant · PL
SVERIGES GEOLOGISKA UNDERSOKNINGparticipant · SE

How to reach the team

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland — contact via their industry partnerships office or the project website

Order a report on this consortium See TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

SciTransfer can connect you with the X-MINE consortium partners who built the sensor and sorting prototypes. We identify which partner owns the specific technology you need and arrange introductions.

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