A team of six researchers from the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) has reached the first round of the current SPRIND Tech Metal Transformation Challenge. This secures the HIF team, which is part of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), more than one million euros in funding from the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND) for the coming year. The young team will then test and further develop the proposed process for recovering technology metals from electronic waste in order to reach the next stage of the three-stage innovation competition if the evaluation is positive.

HIF scientist Dr. Raimon Tolosana-Delgado appointed honorary professor at TU Bergakademie Freiberg

Mining is a controversial topic: On the one hand, we need raw materials such as copper for the transition to climate-friendly technologies, but on the other hand, exploration and raw material extraction are primarily associated with environmental pollution and exploitation. A team of 18 European partners coordinated by the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has addressed this controversy in the VECTOR project, linking geosciences with data and social sciences. The results are efficient and low impact exploration methods and human-centered solutions that enable a responsible supply of critical raw materials in Europe.