One of the challenges confronting our society today is the sustainable use of our resources. The concept of a circular economy, in which products, materials and componen­ts are reused and recycled within a loop, thus generating hardly any waste, is intended to meet this challenge. In order to reco­ver raw materials of all kinds (e.g. rare earth elements) in an energy-efficient and function-preserving way, it is necessary to develop a new generation of adaptive and flexible ­techno­logies and digital platforms for the processing and recycling. FlexiPlant will be a globally unique research infrastructure, to develop and test scientific models, methods and ­techno­logies for the mechanical processing of raw material in a pilot scale. The digitalization and automation of the processing system are required for transferring the processes to industrial scale. As an open transfer platform, FlexiPlant will provide a variety of research and cooperation opportunities for interested partners from academia, industry and society.

FINEST is a collaboration project dedicated to the valorization of finest particles. The central research question the project tackles, is to find a sustainable solution for fine-grained residues from various sources through cleaning, se­paration, and blending processes. FINEST will generate se­veral types of valuables and inert residues in an economically viable and ecologically benign way.

The interdisciplinary Particle Fate Modelling group uses the full potential of modern raw materials characterization to not only bet­ter understand but also predict the behavior of particles in se­paration processes including its uncertainties.

Being able to characterize resources in 3D instead of the common 2D data would be a major breakthrough in minerals processing and metal extraction. We develop a new measuring routine and software which merge quantitative 2-dimensional data with 3-dimensional data. This allows for an unprecedented optimization of mineral reco­very and energy efficiency as well as the minimization of material residues.

Alte Bergbauhalden können eine wichtige Rohstoffquelle sein. Sie enthalten noch erhebliche Mengen an Wertstoffen, nur waren diese früher technisch nicht gewinnbar oder für die Industrie uninteressant. Alle Aktivitäten, die sich mit der Ressourcengewinnung aus und der Wiederaufarbei­tung von Bergbauhalden befassen, werden als „ReMining“ bezeichnet. ReMining ist ein For­schungs­schwerpunkt am HIF.

BioKollekt is a novel se­paration process that extracts metals from scrap, process waste or primary raw material mixtures using specially designed biological collectors. The method aims at enabling the cost- and energy-efficient recycling of complex mixtures, and more specifically fine particles.

The FineFuture project researches new ways to exploit the reco­very of fine particle fractions in metalliferous raw materials. Se­parating ­very fine particles is important for the valorization of multiple mineral resources, for example nickel, kaolin, feldspar, talc and magnesite. With a particular focus on froth flotation, the project aims at enabling the development of groundbreaking ­techno­logies in the raw materials sector.