On 25 April 2018, the final meeting concerning the EU project OptimOre took place in Manresa. In this research project, over a 39 month period, the extraction of tantalum and tungsten from tailings of various European deposits was investigated and made predictable, using newly developed calculation models. The different work packages were focused on the preparation processes of grinding, gravity separation, flotation, and magnetic separation.

In addition, project partners were entrusted with the higher-level control software, and the integration of the control system. Each of the topics was fully managed by one single research institution.

In the presence of the project officer from Brussels, the final examination results of the individual work packages as well as the generated calculation and simulation models were presented at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Manresa. The meeting concluded with the presentation of the erected pilot plant in the technical center of the UPC.

The built-in sensors of the plant made a real-time monitoring of the material to be processed possible, as well as an adjustment of the plant parameters during process control. These plant components thereby form the interface between the practical tests and the theoretical calculation models of the project. In his positive final evaluation, the project officer praised all partners for their outstanding project results and innovations created in the area of ​​modeling.