Anna Vanderbruggen receives the EIT CHANGE Award for her revolutionary graphite extraction method which could decrease the environmental footprint of battery production
Each year, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) celebrates the entrepreneurial and societal achievements of its innovators. They are honored with the EIT Awards in four categories: CHANGE, Innovators, Venture and Women Leadership. Anna Vanderbruggen received the CHANGE Award for her innovative method on graphite recycling from used lithium-ion batteries. That´s also the topic of her PhD thesis she is working on at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), an institute of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).

Since 2015, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has established a so-called Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) for the raw materials sector - the EIT RawMaterial­s. After seven years, the results have now been rotationally assessed and positively evaluated. The EIT RawMaterial­s has developed into an important player in the raw materials sector in Europe and now networks more than 300 European institutions from the resources sector. In addition to the establishment of six Innovation Hubs, the European Raw Material­s Alliance ERMA was founded and six master's degree programs with EIT label degrees were developed. O­ver the next seven years, the KIC will focus on securing raw material supplies, closing material loops and developing material solutions that enable the transition to a carbon-neutral Europe.

The Geoanalysis 2022 conference took place in Freiberg from 6th to 12th August, organized by the Helmholtz-Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF) and Eurofins Umwelt Ost GmbH Freiberg. Around 130 participants, speakers, pos­ter presenters and exhibitors from from all continents were hosted by the beautiful facilities of the Schloßplatzquar­tier­ of the TUBAF. Inviting organization was the International Association of Geoanalysts (IAG).

Industrial processes are inevitably associated with the generation of fine-grained residues. These rarely find re-entry into the industrial value chain. Typically, they are disposed of and represent a potential environmental risk. In the FINEST project, coordinated by the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), various fine-grained material streams of anthropogenic origin are being recorded and investigated. The investigations aim to develop novel concepts for their processing in order to keep them in the cycle and to safely dispose of remaining residual materials. Within the framework of the Sustainability Challenge of the Helmholtz Association, the consortium consisting of the HZDR, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF) and the Uni­versity of Greifswald was able to prevail against numerous competitors and will receive 5 million euros in funding.

European project VECTOR with the focus on evidence-based and accessible knowledge that integrates scientific and social pathways to improve mineral exploration and mining

With the increasing demand for high-tech metals by the industry, mining faces complex challenges. The sustainable supply of raw materials requires energy-efficient and socially acceptable methods with low environmental impact. At the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) belonging to the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), researchers have developed novel, digital mapping methods for sustainable raw material exploration and extraction o­ver the past two years and brought them to market. The founding team of TheiaX is now offering these ­techno­logies to industry. The start-up is already the third spin-off of the Freiberg institute.

Efficiently recycling batteries and reintegrating the reco­vered materials into production is still an apparently unsolvable problem for industry. That's why researchers around the world are looking for new approaches. One of them is Anna Vanderbruggen. The PhD student at the Helmholtz Institute for Resource Technology Freiberg (HIF) - an institution of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) - developed a concept to recycle graphite from used lithium-ion batteries. On November 7th, she will present her approach in the final of the future competition Falling Walls in Berlin.

The Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) recognizes the Director of the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the HZDR, Dr. Jens Gutzmer, with the Sil­ver Medal 2022. With o­ver 7000 international members from industry and academia, the SEG is the world's largest association in the field of fundamental and applied mineral deposit research. The Sil­ver Medal has been awarded since 1980 to recipients in mid-career for excellence in original work in the geology of mineral deposits. The award ceremony will take place next year at the SEG Conference in Den­ver, Colorado (USA).

The Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF) have been active in the field of luminescence research for many years. At TUBAF, this method is used to determine the age of sediment samples. The competences are now being further expanded in order to make spectroscopic measurements usable for the characterisation of resources and materials as well.

PhD-candidate Amelia Schmidt has been awarded with the “Young Scientist’s Paper Award” at the European Metallurgical Conference 2021 (EMC). She is the first woman who got the award from the Society of Metallurgists and Miners (GDMB).

As of 1 October, PD Dr. Simone Raatz will take o­ver as Administrative Director of the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). With this appointment, she will devote more time to the further strategic orientation of the HIF and the gradual expansion of the research campus for resource technology and sustainability at the Freiberg site.

The HIF has signed a cooperation agreement with the manufacturer of equipment for materialographic analysis from which both partners will benefit.

The international mining industry can now test technology at Germany’s largest research organisation following an agreement between the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) and Amira Global. The HIF, which is based at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Amira Global to join its CoLabs initiative, which is creating a network of test facilities across the globe.

Sustainable support for battery research, establishment of battery cell production in Germany, fas­ter transfer of research results to application: These are the goals of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) concept "Battery Research Factory". The goals are being tackled in four new battery competence clusters, which the BMBF is funding with 100 million euros. The Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) is involved in the "Recycling & Green Battery" competence clus­ter with five projects.

Gallium is a rare metal, but it is widely used in the high-tech industry. This extreme contrast makes recycling indispensable. Howe­ver, current recycling processes are costly and chemically polluted. Biotechnological approaches, therefore, rely on peptides, as they are able to bind metallic particles, minerals and metal ions in an environmentally friendly manner and to differentiate them in a targeted manner. Scientists at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf have now shown (DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125366), that peptide-based material can be used for the extraction of gallium from production wastewa­ter caused by the semiconductor industry.

Scientists from the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) are currently researching a technology that can be used to bet­ter process and analyze multimodal point clouds. The project is called Hyper 3D-AI – Artificial Intelligence for three-dimensional (3D) multimodal point cloud classification.

Young Mining Professionals (YMP) is a growing international association of mining professionals based in major mining centers across the world, that share the goal of advancing the global profile and leadership of the mining and exploration industry.

Freiberg scientist receives award for special scientific achievements and fundamental contributions in the geology of mineral deposits

Approach of processing steps for flotation tailings and process water reaches proof of concept stage within the challenge