Steinar Løve Ellefmo

Steinar Løve Ellefmo is Professor of Resource Geology at NTNU's Department of Geoscience and Petroleum. His research develops geometallurgical models for mineral resource assessment, with current focus on deep-sea mining systems, 3D deposit modeling, and sustainable resource management. He leads the TripleDeep project on marine mineral competencies.

Core research domains:

• Deep-sea mining economic viability
• Geostatistical resource estimation
• Industrial mineral production optimization
• Geothermal energy integration in mining

Recent publications analyze hybrid geothermal-cryogenic energy systems, geometallurgical flowsheet design, and production forecasting for seafloor massive sulfide deposits. Methodologies integrate discrete event simulation, geostatistics, and life-cycle assessment.

Industry collaborations include offshore mining technology development with Equinor and geometallurgical programs for nepheline syenite operations. Teaches resource characterization, geostatistics, and mine planning courses.