Spyro Project: An Interactive Pyrometallurgical Training Programme

Sharing skills and good practices in pyrometallurgy through e-learning and virtual reality modules.

This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, under the Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation

Project Summary

In pyrometallurgical process management, prompt responsiveness is key. At the same time maintaining a safe work environment and compliance with environmental regulations is essential.

Pyrometallurgical pilot facilities enable processes to be tested at a more realistic scale in a furnace sized between laboratory equipment and an industrial furnace. Currently, there is no specific academic training course available to learn step-by-step how a such a facility works, due to lack of pyrometallurgical pilot facilities or because available academic courses tend to be more theoretically than practically oriented.

The EIT Raw Materials funded education project, SPYRO (Share skills and good practices in PYROmetallurgy), aims to bridge the gap between theory and the operation of industrial furnaces. The objective is to share and teach best practices related to high temperature processes and give a better understanding of the operations involved, along with the risks and safety and environment issues.

The SPYRO project intends to develop e-learning and virtual reality modules that will provide a better understanding of pyrometallurgical facility operation and management and help engineers and technical staff take up and fulfil their roles in such facilities.

Dates - January 2020 - December 2022

Sponsors - European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), Horizon 2020

Partners

The consortium, led by Eramet, is composed of experts in the fields of steel, silicon or manganese, which allows a broad and global vision of pyrometallurgy.

ERAMET (France) - Lead Partner

From mining to products for high-tech industries, Eramet is involved in all aspects of mining metallurgy and the production and processing of high value-added alloys.

Materials Processing Institute (United Kingdom)

Works with the global steel and materials industries, to carry out research and innovation in advanced materials, industrial decarbonisation, the circular economy and digital technologies.

Elkem AS Technology (Norway)

A fully integrated producer with operations throughout the silicon value chain from quartz to silicon and downstream silicone specialties as well as specialty ferrosilicon alloys and carbon materials.