The Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) has chosen 10 projects to share in $2.4 million in development funding. This is the final of three cohorts of the MICA program, an initiative of Sudbury’s Centre of Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), which launched in 2021.
Eligible projects were required to meet one of four needs: increase mine production capacity at a lower cost, reduce mining energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, implement smart autonomous mining systems, or reduce environmental risk and long-term liabilities.
“MICA is a vibrant network dedicated to fostering the adoption of innovation within the mining sector. With this announcement, we strengthen our commitment to advancing made-in-Canada innovation and establishing MICA as a globally relevant Canadian network for mining innovation,” Chamirai Charles Nyabeze, MICA’s network director, said in a news release.
“The future of mining is cleaner, greener, electric, deeper, more environmentally responsible, and safer. Supporting innovative solutions is key to driving prosperity and positive change.”
This year’s funding recipients include:
- Glacies Technologies Inc. (Que.), which will receive $250,000 to demonstrate a 10 per cent scale heating reactor designed to prevent underground icing using eco-friendly methods;
- MineSense (B.C.), which will receive $250,000 to trial its ShovelSense technology, which differentiates ore and waste in real-time during underground mining operations;
- H2nanO Inc. (Ont.), which will receive $250,000 to advance its SolarPass and Oasis technologies for mine water treatment and tailings management;
- Enviro Integration Strategies Inc. (Sask.), which will receive $234,010 to develop an all-in-one risk governance platform for mine waste infrastructure;
- pH7 Technologies Inc. (B.C.), which will receive $250,000 to implement a sustainable heap-leaching process for extracting copper from low-grade ores;
- FREDsense Technologies Corp. (Alta.), which will receive $187,000 to commercialize a portable sensor for selenium analysis in mining water;
- LoopX Innovation Inc. (Ont.), which will receive $250,000 to develop an AI-powered tagless collision avoidance system for underground mining vehicles;
- ElectroKinetic Solutions Inc. (Ont.), which will receive $250,000 to demonstrate the dewatering performance of its EKS-DT Technology in tailings storage;
- Symboticware (Sudbury, Ont.), which will receive $250,000 to enhance its SymBot IIoT platform with satellite-to-cellular technology, improving connectivity for mining fleets; and
- Tersa Earth Innovations Inc. (B.C.), which will receive $250,000 to advance its TersaClean technology for microbial fuel cell-based tailings treatment.
Launched in 2021, MICA is a pan-Canadian organization focused on speeding up the commercialization of new technologies aimed at making the mining industry more productive and sustainable.
Its membership includes mining companies, industrial suppliers, academic organizations and researchers, and industrial innovators.
In 2022, the organization gave out $11.5 million to 16 recipients, and another $15 million to 24 recipients in 2023.
The organization will operate until September 2026.
