São Paulo – On Friday (29), in Ouro Preto, a study centre turned to the mining and metallurgy sector should be established in Minas Gerais. The site should be called the Advanced Study Centre of the Iron Quadrilateral and should be part of the Federal University of Ouro Preto (Ufop). The target is to promote, execute and disclose studies in the area of sciences of the land.
The object, according to information disclosed by the government of the state, is that the centre should be a reference in the planning of mining activities for use and occupation of the soil. The proposal is to create an adequate environment for the domination of intelligence of the productive process, generation of technology and personnel training, as well as technical service providing and definition of the process for preservation of the environment.
The project is by the State Secretariat of Science, Technology and Higher Education, together with Ouro Preto University. The State of São Paulo Research Foundation and other national public and private research institutions are partners in the project. The professionals to develop the project are from the Department of Geology and of the Post Graduate Program for Crust Evolution and Natural Resources at Ufop.
The project is part of the Iron Quadrilateral 2050 Project, of the Mining and Metallurgy Excellence Hub of the government of Minas Gerais. It is a platform for scientific programs and technological projects to simplify structures for generation and diffusion of knowledge in the area. The hub congregates researchers, nuclei and research and development, innovation and education networks, with the purpose of increasing the performance of the mining and metallurgy sectors.
The Iron Quadrilateral is an area in Brazil that is strong in mining, covering 24 cities. It represents one of the most important ore regions in the world, according to the government of Minas, with the greatest historic result in production of gold, iron and aluminium in Brazil. In 2008, the Quadrilateral was responsible for 13% of the global production and 70% of the national production of iron ore, with a total of 215 million tonnes. It is in the state of Minas Gerais.
*Translated by Mark Ament
